A Brainiac And Proud of It!

I witnessed a silly web debate today. Name calling, vitriol. That sort of thing. The problem was, the instigator was an idiot. Wrong in most every way and she should have kept quiet because in the end not only was her ignorance revealed, but she was shouted down by the folks who rallied behind the victim of her unpleasant attack.

I am a know-it-all. It's true. But as much as I hate it, I do, on occasion, find myself in the humbling position of having to eat crow and admit I was wr-wr-wr-wr-wrong. (Hateful word!).

And there are things I am woefully ignorant of. Economics. Past perfect tense. Calculus. 401 Ks. On the other hand, for someone who does not work in an industry that requires me to continue to learn, I do so with relish.

In recent days I have purchased books on etymology, mythology, the impact of the death rate during the Civil War on the evolution of the US, kinky sexual practices (Right, it is a dirty job, but someone has to do it!), Vincent Bugliosi's book on the entire canon of Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories, a biography of Shakespeare, and numerous books on World War II. And I stopped because my credit card balance was keeping me up nights.

I can't stop wondering about stuff. Curiosity is everpresent in my life. Every time I come across a question, I have to find the answer. If I read or hear about something I don't know about, I have to research it. And when I hear new things, and have learned something I didn't know, I consider my day a rousing success.

For example. Today I learned: If a snake bites you, it is "venomous". If you bite the snake, it is "poisonous". How cool is that?

As a romance writer, particularly one with an interest in history, I am constantly awed by how much there is to learn. Every question that is launched on a writer's site gets myriad answers. Many wrong. Some only partially correct. And there are always those that are filled with knowlege and learning and years of interest in the study of the subject at hand.

While there are arguments, and debates, and even the odd, huffy email exchange, what makes the experiences so amazing are the fact that these large groups of people are all interested in learning. Whether it is about the sexual habits of the Regency gentleman, or the mode of transportation in 1880 US, or the medieval clothing of a child, or a discussion of the food of the Vikings, the discussions are wild, wooly, fascinating and, in the end, I always learn something.

So if you are not interested in learning about parthenogenisis. If the history of the language of flowers in Victorian England bores you. If a study of the Manhattan Project and the development of the atom bomb is a yawn. If discovering the various uses of herbs is tedious to you. Farewell. Begone from my blog.

But if you go to bed glum that you have not had your quota of intelligent discussion. If you are bereft at not having mastered a new fact today. If you yearn to get just another factoid into your brain before you slumber...

Then hang around. I love smart people. And people who know that they will never be smart enough.

Let's hear it for the brainiacs. We are SO cool!