What I have Learned

Learning is an interesting phenomenon. Some say we are life-long learners. Others say that our brains are like storage disks, and they will eventually fill up. Still others say that while we do learn, the brain is like a muscle. If we spend too much time on the couch watching TV, that muscle – among others – will deflate. However, as far as metaphors go, I prefer the idea that the brain is like a sponge; it absorbs knowledge and does chores. At the same time though, if it cleans too much of one thing it starts to fester and smell bad. (No one likes stinky knowledge.) In this way, I believe it is a good idea to give the sponge multiple tasks, rinsing it every so often to make sure that the knowledge we want to use in the future does not fester.

While I am on the subject, I would like to address some of the knowledge my brain has absorbed in the last two weeks about grammar. To preface this, I have had a comma splice on my shoulder about all things grammar for quite some time. I am simply egotistical when it comes to the stuff. With that said, it is with my deepest humility that I inform you of my greatest lesson of all. (In fact, I would say that I am the best learner I know.) You see, I have realized that I am not infallible. There are times when I am WRONG, BUSTED, IGNORANT.

Amidst the time that I learned how wonderful I am at learning, it also occurred to me that I did not know all the uses of a parenthesis. It has been my general understanding that parentheses are used when you want to insert a thought within a thought without screwing up sentence structure. (It is quite Inception-esc, is it not?) I have always believed that parentheses were only used within a particular sentence structure. I thought the only pace they were found was somewhere in between a capitol letter and a period. While reading The New Yorker, I learned how wrong I was. I found a parenthesis that was its own sentence. Thus, it was a thought between thoughts. (Instead of being once removed from the sentence structure, it was once removed from the structure of the paragraph.) It was a parenthesis that was its own sentence. I was floored.

This leads me to another important lesson that I have learned: Never assume you understand all the rules of an element of grammar (because you will be surprised). Also, I believe it is appropriate to raise this question: Is it permissible for me to end this paragraph with only two sentences (while using similar structure in both)?