If all I know is all  I am

 

What's the point of study?

What’s the deal with learning?

Why on earth should I be moving

My attentions to these lessons?

If all I know is all I am

Then if I know more

Am I better, bigger just a bore?

Am I simply more informed;

Still the same, but better-brained?

 

If all I am is all I know

I must be different then, although,

Learning can be good for you

But also, controversially, it can be bad

What if guns and sex they were your topic

Or hurting folk; things misanthropic?

That learning it would make me worse

Albeit about new subjects I could converse.

So do these thoughts lead inevitably

To conclude learning is inextricably

Tied up with morals and subjectivity?

 

‘Cos otherwise it would be the case

That if all I know is all I am

I could learn bad things ad nauseum

I could be bad through and through

With what I thought and what I do.

Or I could just study literature

To my place in heav’n assure;

I would be good person number one.

 

It seems to me when all is done

Learning is just like water, coffee and even tea

Just another commodity

It’s not the learning that does matter

But how it makes you feel and what with it you do.

Parked in a garage like a treasured car

It gathers dust and won’t take your far.

But driven on an open road

You’re just like Graham’s Mr Toad

Parp! Parp! you sound

As real learning you spread around.