In an age where the op-ed begins to replace the actuality of events and ideas, I'm constantly reminded of how little I know - and how grievously that wounds me... That is to say, I feel "considerably diminished" at times by the existence of higher knowledge and superlative comprehension - made more harmful to my delicate, inflated ego by proximity. Because height and depth are equally relative, a boulder can be both a monstrous pebble and a miniature mountain. Cursed are those who are inherently aware that they are a boulder! It's the top of the B-list where the frustration lies. A wise man once said that at the beginning of the artistic life, taste often exceeds ability. I am an extended-stay patron in that hotel. In the pursuit of a developed craft and a higher praise, I war with pride, self-hatred and procrastination in the minefield between the left and right hemispheres of my brain. For those who find themselves in a different trench every morning, I say this. (And perhaps, this is the answer). Learning is never a bad idea. However, lying back, looking up at the stars somewhere in no-mans-land will not win the war. Don't forget that you MUST move on the enemy's trenches. In other words, you should be advancing as you learn - or learning as you advance. If I strive to know more and to develop my craft and then use that knowledge only to deduce and rehash how imperfect my shortcomings are, I am committing a severe abuse. I may never become as smart, successful, tall, rich, or well-spoken as some of my contemporaries and idols, but I am trying most assiduously to never tire in the pursuit of whatever my "best" turns out to be, and to live contented with it.