Learning Something New

I used to think I was smart. Then, I learned something new. However much I read and study, I will go through my life knowing very little.
Intelligence is measured by tests whereas knowledge comes from a willingness to open our minds. That being said, experience is the greatest teacher. No one knows more about Niagra Falls than the man who went over it in a barrel. A farm girl in Iowa will probably never ride a camel. A dancer in New York will not know the pain of loosing her legs in the war.
Since we can’t experience everything, reason requires us to listen to the thoughts and opinions of others. This brings us back to the need for relationships. Without relationships, we can not create a civil world, or even maintain healthy communities. Without relationships, the most intelligent man in the world knows nothing but himself. He is essentially clueless.
I know I have a lot to learn. We all do. We always will. We have a lot to learn from each other.
Man's quest to understand the world using only facts and figures, will only prove in vain. Without communication and compassion, the path to knowledge is crooked and broken.