From My Work-in-Progress Basket
In Praise of Useless Information
I have, in the past, argued that though you may need an MBA or other technical degree to be accepted for certain jobs, it’s really a waste of time. As I explained in one essay: “Anything you learn will be outdated or simply useless when you get into the ‘real world.’ You’ll get a job and you’ll have to learn on the job.”
I have also argued that the only course of study that makes sense is Liberal Arts. It’s the best (though not the only) way to develop what I consider to be life’s three essential skills: thinking, writing, and speaking. It also introduces you to a wide range of subjects that will help you distinguish yourself in any activity that requires a whole lot of information that is otherwise useless.
I am, for example, enjoying Quiz Daily, a website that gives me the opportunity to show off – if only to myself – how well-rounded I am.
I’ve shared some of these quizzes with you in the past. They cover everything from science to literature to history to… just about anything you can think of. And I love the challenge.
So, this being Hanukkah week, I dove into the quiz they sent about Hanukkah traditions.
I had scored very well on a quiz about another Jewish holiday, Passover, so I fully expected to do well on this one, too. Sadly, I got only two right – and one of them was a wild guess.
I attribute my success with the Passover quiz to the fact that, although we were Catholics, my mother was an Ecumenical Catholic, which meant (at least for her) that we celebrated Passover with some of the customs associated with the Seder (the holiday meal).
Alas, we didn’t celebrate Hanukkah.
If you want to try your hand at the Hanukkah quiz, click here.