Anyone who knows me knows that I love studying Latin and the ancient world. It was the first thing I was good at academically after reading and writing, and it was the first time I had ever experienced a thirst for knowledge. Studying Latin means a lot to me, but what has it taught me?
1. The Way to Understand People Is to Understand Words
After I had studied Latin well into high-school, I began to see the connections of ancient Rome and the modern world in terms of linguistics. I was awestruck by this newfound meaning to oral history. The presence of localized accents, dialects, syntax, and vernacular, as well as lexicon that has become vernacular, can literally tell us the history of a nation or people group in and of itself. In knowing the roots of words and where they come from, you can form the base of general human constructs and see their striking patterns of universal as well as qualities individual to a certain people group.
This is called psycholinguistics, or the study of how native speakers of different languages process and acquire language, as well as how their language affects their world and vice versa. When I learned that there are groups of people who understand and express colors and time differently than I do simply because there are different words and societal concepts for them, I was amazed at the intensity with which language connects us and defines so much of who we are. I study Latin to remind me that every word someone uses and even the order in which they are used are chosen carefully and they are worth listening to and caring about.
2. The Value of Something You Spend Time on Is Not Dependent Upon the Imminence of Your Seeing Its Fruit
I did not see the fruit of studying Latin immediately. I can speak, read, and write Latin, but outside of the Vatican or reading ancient text in a classroom setting, I do not get to use my skills often. This does not mean that it is worthless or has no fruit. If there is something you love that someone else does not not understand, politely show them what it means to you and be there for them to show you what matters to them. Just because I tend to use my knowledge in this setting more often than not does not mean that it is useless to me.
It also does not mean that I look down on people who do not know Latin nor even care to know it. Of course it saddens me because I love it so much, but it reminds me that my friend who loves math and sees just as much in numbers as I do in words was given that passion and ability to teach mathematics because it too is worth valuing. Each has a different passion so that all kinds of things may live on and be appreciated in the hearts of even one person. This has taught me more patience and humility than anything else I have tried to undertake like it.
3. If I Do Not Cherish the "Little" Things, I Will Not Respect the "Big" Things
This is the greatest lesson I have learned from studying Latin. If I do not take the time to work through 2-5 different verbs that all have the same basic meaning but convey different ideas and are used in different contexts simply so I can properly revere Latin in its most natural state, I will not take the time to respect and carefully make my way through what life throws at me, and I will certainly not take the time to appreciate human beings in their most natural state. I can love people and the intricacies of life better by taking the time to learn Latin because they are both worth learning and knowing and appreciating. If I scramble to save the voices and thoughts of ancient Romans like trying to keep an echo in a jar, I will better lift the voices of people living today.
Take from this encouragement to value the passions in your life and the passions of others. Remember that they are valuable and fruitful, and ask yourself what they have taught you. I guarantee you that you will love them more.
