The mark of the true scholar, is a small thing that we are all born with, but that most people have trained out of them when they are very young, The need to know and understand.
I don't just mean curiosity, although that is essential as well. What I mean, is a need to know stuff that is so strong, that you can almost taste it.
It is usually found with the need to share what you know with others (and I don't mean like a train spotter, or your holiday snaps), I mean to share your enthusiasm for whatever it is you know, so that the people listening can't help but be inspired to find out more.
The scholar, and scientist, work in a reductionist manner, taking the things that they know, and deducing the elements out of which these things are built. They then try to figure out how the things they know are built out of these elementary pieces.
Some scholars are also mages, but all mages are by necessity scholars.
last modified 04:17 2005/06/23