The language barrier

If there is one thing I have a real mental block on it is learning languages. I did French at school for a while and couldn't get past the usual, hello, goodbye, please and thank you. I recently started learning Spanish for our holiday in Tenerife, but that was no good either, I learnt the same basic greetings, besides we were told, and it was right that they all speak English anyway!! Although not all speak English, even those who don't are so used to dealing with English and few gestures gets you by!

Right so I am coming into life with a statement, "I don't do languages!" I have also wanted to study certain subjects but only get so far!

Something last night lit a very big light bulb for me. If you want to study law, for example, you need to learn the language of law. If you want to study medicine then you need to learn the language of medicine. Engineering, psychology, in fact anything worthy of study has it's own language. Love is said to have it's own language(s) and of course biblical study.

Here's the deal, for me learning stuff is sometimes like listening to a total bore. You know the kind of person, they stand there and talk at you with non stop drivel until your brain feel like it is going to trickle out of your ears. They have no social skills to be able to recognise that you are not contributing to the conversation and that you have a pained expression on your face. That's how I get when I start to get past the basics of a subject. Like the information is being intrusive in my head. Stupid, I know! Why? I don't know.

It has obviously been a barrier to my learning. I start off all excited about learning something and then I get to the point where I ask myself why on Earth I need to know this! It doesn't matter what it is. Even theology. A friend of mine in who is in his 50s has just told me that he is about to start a degree course. He is like me that he has started no end of courses. It would be really good if he and I were able to finish them, but we always seem to find an excuse to quit once it loses it's initial excitement. I get turned on by stationary. I'm not the only one, I love new books and pens and rulers and all that. And I am the same way with courses. But once the pencil wont sharpen any more, the rubber has a smudge on it, the book has been written in, it all loses the shine.

I often say of myself that I am someone who learns over time by osmosis. Cramming information in doesn't work. So if I want to learn a language then I would probably need to live in a country and learn slowly over time. I also like to think that although I don't learn as fast as others, I tend to either give up completely or master it, whereas many just get by.

Can I change my inability to learn languages? It feels like a complete waste of time to spend time cramming information into my head for a couple of chances at speaking to someone in that language! Other people seem to just learn new languages just for fun! To me it seems like a waste of effort. That is probably the 5 in me. Thinking that resources are limited! They aren't. I wont fill my brain up. I have never heard of anyone learning so much they couldn't learn any more. I don't know what the answer is. I am lacking wisdom therefore I must ask God!!!