[Yoda]

you do not learn when you are talking.

To my mind, there are Three Stages to Mastery of any subject. These are encapsulated in the following quote:

"Reading makes a learned man.
Conversation makes a ready man.
Writing makes a precise man."

-- Sir Francis Bacon

To my mind, Joe Curtis is referring to Bacon's first phase of mastery, that is, getting a grasp of the basic facts. If you want to 'play marbles', you've got to get some marbles to shoot! However, that phase of the journey soon ends . . .

To really 'hammer down' the basics, you must interact with others. It's not enough just to have a bag of marbles, you must kneel down, draw the circle and play the game! This jousting of ideas back and forth yields its own fruit -- new insights and a deeper appreciation of the fundamental issues -- but still permits a certain laxity of expression ('wiggle room'). In other words, you can be a little looser 'just talking' than when you know you will be held accountable. Finally, though, comes the day when all preparatory efforts end and your solo challenge of the summit begins . . .

You enter this rarified atmosphere when you take pen in hand and crystalize your thoughts by writing. Here, in the crucible of solitude, you become The Master, a true champion. Here, there can be no substitute for concentrated thought. Here, there is no reprieve from ill-conceived ideas: They have been commited to paper and are there for all to see, measure and judge.

These Forums foster this three-stage discipline and thus provide a true path to individual mastery. The textual nature of our medium demands that we write to 'speak', so posting serves both as 'conversation' and 'crystalized thought'. I invite and encourage members to participate according to their own levels of understanding. In so doing, you will 'connect the dots' of your own fragmented ideas and one day join those who have sought and won the 'pearl of great price' . . .

The joy of genuine accomplishment.