I’ve just watched a video titled “Learning Languages Ruined My Life”, made by a guy who has studied several languages to a high level of proficiency, and I just couldn’t understand it. The video itself doesn’t quite fit with the title, since the main idea is that learning languages is a painful endeavor, because it makes you doubt your beliefs and identity, but that it is completely worth it because you get to see the world as it is and get to understand people from other cultures. The part I fail to understand is when he claims that learning languages is painful. I say “understand”, but thinking again about it, maybe a more appropriate word would be “relate”. I find it difficult to imagine how anyone can actually feel that learning is painful. This is, of course, completely subjective. I’m not saying that it is impossible; rather, that I can’t imagine myself feeling that way. It may be dependent on experience, maybe I’m just too young to get it, I haven’t lived enough; or maybe it is something only certain people with certain personalities experience. Maybe this is about empathy and understanding people's problems. I may lack that. It might be due to a completely different reason, of which I'm totally unaware.
Whatever the reason may be, I feel the complete opposite of what the video says. The more I’ve learned, the happier I’ve become. I’ve never felt tormented by knowledge. If anything, sometimes I feel that certain thoughts and ideas make me a little bit depressed, but it doesn’t last long, so that’s probably different. It could also be that the knowledge I've ecountered so far hasn't been of a suffering inducing type: that all I've learned and experienced in life has been harmless things.
For example, and this might prove what I’ve just said about what I know being harmless, last year I read the beginning of Descartes’ Discourse on the Method and when he proposes that mental experiment of doubting of everything and not give anything for granted, and also talks about that hypothetical evil genius that could, as far as we are able to know, manipulate our stimuli and make us see things that aren’t real; and when that led me to think that all that I value, my family and the things I care about, could just be fake and unreal, even though this is a very abstract notion and in practical terms a pointless preoccupation, it made me feel really sad and lonely. But that just lasted one afternoon: the next day, though still a little bit affected by the whole thing, I was already fine. And things like that sometimes happen to me, but I kind of feel better, more tranquil, every time that happens. It makes me think that the more I know the more prepared I am to deal with life's problems, at least as an intellectual simulacrum that leads me to convince myself that there are just things that can’t be helped and that there’s basically nothing we can know for sure about anything.
Well, that’s my bit of writing for today. I know it's really messy and I’m afraid I’ve just said a lot of stupid stuff, but I watched that video and it got me motivated to write, so I wrote, and I guess that’s what matters for now. In any case, thanks for reading, and also, if you feel up to it, I would also like to know your opinion. What do you think, is learning painful?
First off, your English is almost perfect. The only general thing I notice is your use of run-on sentences: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/runonsentences
As for the topic at hand, I would say that I've felt down about learning languages. There are times when I've felt like I was up against a brick wall with no way around it, for example, with word genders, grammar, cases, etc. This is actually how I got into Journaly. I figured with consistent practice, these things would start making more sense to me.
I could also see how living in a different country and speaking a different language might mess with a person's conception of their own identity, but hopefully the experience will ultimately serve to expand that identity, instead of damaging it.
My two cents on the topic...
I agree about the run on sentences. You can try to make your sentences shorter, and also to organize them into more shorter paragraphs. Your writing in English is quite strong in my opinion, high school - university level.
@maxmo and @Hailey Thanks for the corrections and for the advice! I'll try to use shorter sentences next time.
The point of the bit about the painfulness of learning other languages is that you will no longer see history with a "home team" or ethnocentric lens. You will have to live in the world of ambiguity where you will often think of a subject from various and sometimes contradictory perspectives. Otherwise, the video promotes language learning and thank you very much for leading me to it.
I don’t find language learning painful. Occasionally exasperating, often entertaining, but not painful. It’s fascinating to see the similarities and differences. In particular, I always enjoy finding words in new languages that don’t have English equivalents and vice versa. Learning how others view the world is a pleasure.
Ok let me start by saying that I'm really impressed with your ability to express yourself in English! You were able to look at a complicated topic and pull it apart in a couple of different ways, and it was understandable to the reader. To be able to do that is really good! You are WELL on your way with writing English!! Awesome! :D
Outside of that, I think that I do agree more with the video than you do. I just wrote a really long comment, but I accidentally deleted it. LOL. Maybe I will come back and rewrite it later. If not, I just want to say that I am really looking forward to reading what you write next!!
The only painful thing about learning a different language I find is the fact that you will never be able to learn it as your native one. You will still be thinking in your native language and dreaming in your native language. No matter how advanced you are. So what is so painful about this one would ask. The human brain has a tendency to finish things. That is why series that use cliff hangers are so annoying. So learning a language is always a cliff hanger for me.