Aaron asked:

I am lucky enough to have reached this stage in my short life where I want to know everything. I feel
my mission is to be the keeper of wisdom and to understand everything in order to find "myself" in the
end. However, I am finding that all I do is lead myself to more and more questions. The most
confusing thing of it all now is that I don't even know what my original goal was. As a mini-philosopher
myself, what is the best way to go about finding answers and drawing conclusions on my own (ie:
music, religion, politics, etc.)?

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Well off the top of my head I'd say you have two choices... three, really. One, which you don't seem to
want ("on my own") is to go back to school. I'd consider it, for several reasons. First, you get to know
that you know what others know, when you want to talk to them. Second, you get guidance from the
occasional bright and interesting person. Third, you get a ready-made set of people to talk with.

Second, become a scholar. Get reading lists, and read, read, read. A good route if you know what to
look for and don't mind isolation.

Third, go the Socratic route: seek out people who seem to be knowledgeable, and talk and ask
questions. The advantage: you get lots of interaction. The disadvantage: usually, you don't know what
you're talking about and won't understand what the person you're talking to means, unlessyou've
already got a very good education. We've come a bit from the days of Socrates, in terms of
knowledge, andin terms of building on others' thinking.

So it really depends on your background and inclinations, doesn't it? One way I've seen people go is
to become associated with a book publisher, and attend conferences. You can talk to people who are
interested in your books.

I've got to tell you, though... if you think you're going to "keep wisdom" you've got some hard times
ahead of you. I don't know anyone wise, offhand, and that includes myself... but do I know lotsof
well-educated people. If what you want is to "know everything", then one or both of the first two
alternatives are your natural choices.

Steven Ravett Brown

There are no best ways, only individual ways. But I can say something in answer to your question. I
assume that to give life meaning (reach some kind of happiness) you need to acquire knowledge.

Knowledge is not to be obtained, like for instance money. The process of acquiring it makes you
owner of the knowledge. In fact the two can not be separated (they form a mathematical unity). To
posses knowledge you need to have acquired it, and after personal acquiring you automatically own
knowledge.

That's why your question (luckily) can't be answered in general. For every individual some kind of
finding knowledge feels best

Whatever you chose, try to get your satisfaction from HAVING new ideas (political, musical etc.). And
adapt an attitude of wonderment about all happenings instead of getting annoyed by a lot of them.

Clearly you already have self humor. Try to keep it.

Henk Tuten