Errata: An Examined Life - George Steiner
George Steiner is a polyglot and a polymath. He's brilliant. And he's probably the last of a (literally) dying breed of people, in a world that (I feel) continues to trend towards specialization and homogenization. In this book, Steiner shares some pieces from his life and how they have shaped his thinking and worldview. For me, the book vividly illustrated how formal education can deeply affect one's life. I have to wonder if our current society regards education the way T.S. Eliot has commented on how it at one time regarded religion:
“Much has been said everywhere about the decline of religious belief; not so much notice has been taken of the decline of religious sensibility. The trouble of the modern age is not merely the inability to believe certain things about God and man which our forefathers believed, but the inability to feel towards God and man as they did.”
Perhaps, you say that you value education (despite it being woefully underfunded), but do you regard it with an appropriate sensibility? Do you see it only as just a stepping stone towards getting a job (and money)? Or do you value the education itself, and how it can directly enrich your life mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?
Anyway, needless to say, Mr. Steiner received a very good education, and we see the fruits of it in his autobiographical volume.
