The hardest thing of all.

In learning a foreign language, one must be willing to make a fool of one's self. It's all right to make mistakes. In learning Italian, I have to fight the urge to play it safe. To not take chances. To blunder my way through. And the same goes for Italians trying to learn English. They don't take risks. Risk-taking is the very thing that's necessary to learn -- almost anything. The learning process can be arduous. Make one lose confidence. I have talked to people who learned a second language. And usually it took a while to rev up the confidence level. For me, that time may never come. I'm 75. And I have the notion that it's very difficult for a person to learn another language. Maybe because it's difficult for me. Others may find it easier. Especially if they start at a younger age. Anyway, I'm still learning. About philosophy. And love. And politics. Even writing. Oh, so many things. And maybe the hardest of all is to learn a second language. --Jim Broede