Toward Scholarship

Anyone can become knowledgeable on almost any topic. The road to erudition is available to everyone. (NOTE: AI-free zone. All mistakes are, sadly, my own).

What is a Scholar?

No matter who you are, what your background is, your economic status, or your educational achievement, you can start today on the road to being a scholar. All that is required is an inquiring mind, the discipline to study, a willingness to stare into the abyss—knowing that the abyss is staring back—and the alacrity to risk madness. A nice beverage helps also. So, if you are ready, let us get started.

The word has been used in two different ways. Scholar can refer to a person who has a “scholarship”—that is, they receive financial support to study at a particular institution. I am not concerned with this definition. We need to also differentiate between the word “scholar” and the word “academic.” An academic (derived from the word academy) refers to a person who works in a field of higher education.

Scholars can be professional or amateur. Perhaps the terms “vocational” and “non-vocational” would be better. Those who are not connected to an institution are sometimes referred to as “independent scholars.”

Britannica Dictionary defines a scholar as “a person who has studied a subject for a long time and knows a lot about it: an intelligent and well-educated person who knows a particular subject very well.”

Some have defined a scholar as “a person who studies a subject to the point of expertise. The process includes study, research, and experimentation or application.”

Taxi Driver

Please allow me to share a story of one of the most amazing men I ever met. I have had the privilege of travel, education, and being in unique environs. But one of the most interesting people I ever met was a taxi cab driver from S.E. Asia. In this particular place, driving a taxi is a lower-paying job and is considered a very low-status position. You do have to be able to read to pass the license. However, most people in this culture consider this profession on the same level as a servant.

My colleagues and I entered the back of the taxi, greeted the driver, and announced where we wanted to go. I showed him a paper with the name of our destination in the local language, just to be sure. The driver smiled and replied, “No problem.” I smiled back and thanked him. He must have considered our demeanor and interchange to be safe because he then ventured to ask, “May I practice my English with you?”

“That would be fine,” I said.

I was impressed that he knew some English, was polite, and was even bold enough to ask. So I asked him, “How do you enjoy driving?”

His answer surprised me. He said, “It is good so I can eat, but I really enjoy listening to the radio.” He continued to explain that he learned to speak English by listening to the radio stations while waiting for passengers and that every day he learned something new.

I could not resist. I asked, “What have you learned?”

He then shared with me the program he heard the day before about honeybees. If I had not been sitting in the back of an old car, navigating through crowded streets, with an air conditioner that barely worked and a smell I preferred not to try to identify, I would have thought I was listening to an entomology presentation. This man, who was older and from very humble beginnings, was becoming a walking encyclopedia of knowledge just because of his curiosity and the wise use of his time.

Without Excuse

Years ago, one had to travel to a large city to find a library. Such historically relevant libraries as Alexandria, Constantinople, or Celsus were not accessible to everyone. Later the option was to go to university. This often required having family who had connections to the school, legacies, and, of course, money—preferably old money. But now, with so much access to information, anyone can become knowledgeable on almost any topic. The road to erudition is available to everyone.

Knowledge for Knowledge’s Sake

Much like the idea of thinking, the pursuit of knowledge for the sake of knowledge is all but lost. We tend to be outcome-oriented. Before, a one went to the university (“unity in diversity”) to become a well-rounded person who was fit for all aspects of society. In time the disciplines were divided and subdivided. Today, most education is oriented to a purely vocational end. We spend money to go to school to get a job so that we can pay back the money we borrowed to go to school. That is insane. I digress.

Certainly, we need a job to eat, and school can be a means to an end. But knowing just to know is an end and joy in itself. There is a difference between studying to know so you or I can pass a test, get a degree, get a job, and make money versus studying because you find the topic interesting. That is what I want to encourage you to do. If you have not already, start your journey today.

That is truly what makes a scholar: the real love of knowledge, and anyone can have that.

Sir Francis Bacon coined the Latin phrase “scientia potentia est,” which literally translates into “for also knowledge itself is power.” In time the phrase was abbreviated to the shorter version we are familiar with today: “knowledge is power.” Power can be dangerous.

Hide What You Know

One of the dark sides of knowledge is that it can be alienating. When we learn something new, we are excited to share it. This might cause people around us to feel uncomfortable. Please consider the following quotations.

“Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked.”~ Lord Chesterfield

“Let all your preaching be in the most simple and plainest manner; look not to the prince, but to the plain, simple, gross, unlearned people, of which cloth the prince also himself is made. If I, in my preaching, should have regard to Philip Melanchthon and other learned doctors, then should I do but little good. I preach in the simplest manner to the unskilful, and that giveth content to all. Hebrew, Greek, and Latin I spare until we learned ones come together.” ~Martin Luther

There is a time and place to share your knowledge. There is nothing so silly sitting with friends and one of them suddenly exclaims, “Did you know that peanuts are high in magnesium?” Rest assured there are many who did not know and, furthermore, did not care to know this trivia. Remember, trivia is so-called because it is trivial. This makes you look like an arrogant child. It does not make you look smart. Furthermore, if you feel the need to “look smart,” rest assured, you are not smart. No one likes an insufferable know-it-all. It is rude to intrude upon the stories of others to correct them or to try to outdo them. Again, this is childish arrogance.

Cultivate spaces and relationships where it is acceptable and welcomed to share knowledge. Please notice I am using the word “share.” Unless you are invited to give a lecture or you are on your own platform, make sure that your conversations and interactions do not become monologues. We teach by speaking, but we learn by listening.

Suggestion: You might consider hosting your own salon.

Stay Humble

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” — Socrates

No matter how much you think you know, there is still a vast amount you do not. Even after studying for decades, you should come to see that there is more to know and understand. If you become an expert in your field, you can still learn. And you may be surprised by the people around you who can teach you so much—even a taxi driver.

Stay humble, and you can continue to learn. It is a path that has no end.