A Little Learning*
When I was younger, say, in graduate school, there was a vision of what I wanted to accomplish clear on the horizon, like a mountain rising in the distance. It was, to be sure, far away, and the path long, but the goal seemed something definite and achievable, if only I had the endurance to stay on the path. One day, I imagined, I would reach that mountain having acquired certain skills, knowing particular things that I needed to know in order to do the work that I wanted to in my field. And all the hard work would have been worth it. Now, some twenty years later, I think that I've made it to the mountain, perhaps even been here for some time, but I'm not sure. I can't see it anymore. If I turn back, I think I can see the path that brought me here, but there is nothing ahead of me, which must mean I've arrived. Or gotten lost. Worst of all, I have no real sense of actually having climbed the mountain, although occasionally I do turn around and gasp at how high I ...