July 7th
I think I know a lot. No, I know I know a lot about history and geography. I dare to say I know more of those subjects than 99,5% of the general population. I spent countless hours reading, exploring, researching those subjects. And yet, I come to a realization that I in reality I know shit. I only skimmed the surface and know a lot but there is so much more to learn — every day, every trip, every new place I see has plenty of local lore connected to general history and geography but so much more in-depth and detail.
Today I stopped at Ciechanow to see the ruins of the Castle of the Masovian Dukes. It’s now a museum and place to explore — it is possible to climb both towers and go deep into dungeons. There is a small museum on-site where while reading notes on the exposition I realized that my knowledge of that area (Masovia) and their Dukes and Princes, and the whole history between XII and XVI centuries where they were in power is close to zero. I did recognize some names, some battles, some events but most of the stuff there was completely new to me. Duchy of Masovia is now something of a sidenote in Polish history but for several centuries there were controlling huge area in central Poland and were instrumental and influential in the centralization and foundation of the modern Polish state.
I have learned something new today and yet I am in some discomfort knowing that my only one lifetime is not enough to learn all I would like to. I have a solid grounding in general knowledge and I expand my knowledge of some specific eras and interests, but there never will be enough time to know what I want. I don’t want to concentrate on one specific field and forgo expanding my knowledge of general history and geography. On the other hand — it’s impossible to learn about something in-depth without sacrificing time from learning about general knowledge…
I hope I will find a balance that will work for me.
