A person's capacity to learn external information, whatever the paradigm, may usurp his motivation to know himself, vis-a-vis a teaching that uses no words. The more we focus on a narrow fields of expertise, the more likely we miss the 'big picture' outside our 'boxes' of expertise. The cleverness we prize so highly in civilization, ranked not only by IQ tests, but also by the Olympics, the Oscars, Nobel Prizes, the Grammy Awards, etc., may also be a measure of one's capacity for stupidity. I suppose this begs the question: are the values that civilization prizes so highly actually by-paths? Hmmmm....?

So Why Do We Prefer By-Paths?
They are fun! Nothing beats going up to a terrace in spring. Am I right? We put all our eggs in the current desire's basket. We tend to pursue that in which we excel. After all, our actions and our thoughts defines who we believe we are, or who we wish others to think we are. We are driven by a competitive hierarchical instinct. We contend with each other, and our selves. And that works for most folk, most of the time. But, if it doesn't, what then?

The way that seems to lead backward is ideal for those for whom actions, skills, and knowledge no longer give sufficient life meaning. For 'us', meaning can be found at the opposite end of expertise, at the non-contending bottom rather than the top. Here life meaning is found in weakness. Here, what we are least inclined to be proud of is the gateway of the manifold secrets. Hmmmm... that sounds a little peculiar doesn't it.