The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 121

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 1, 1987PAHT VI PAGE 17 Cos Angeles States Living and Loving Knowing It All Is Simply Not Enough Every meal becomes an occasion with beautiful Kosta Boda stems Here are stems of brilliant clarity perfectly realized in full-lead, mouth-blown Swedish crystal. Yet despite their delicate appearance, Kosta Boda stems are made to be handled, used and appreciated every day. Chateau goblet, lefe 15.00. Line Gold, with a 24K gold accent, 29.50, in Dining Accessories. By LEO F.

BUSCAGLIA A few days ago I ran into a friend whom I hadn't seen for many years. Aside from looking a bit older (but then who he seemed very much the same. He is now a successful lawyer a perfect career for him as he was always very verbal, had a keen memory, a logical mind and a strong sense of justice. But with all these positive traits, he has one that is a carry-over from the past that was as difficult for me to handle then as it is now. He insists on giving the impression that he knows everything about everything.

If the topic is politics, he has pat answers for the world's problems. If the subject is economics, he is sure that if he controlled the purse strings the budget would be balanced in no time. I am sure that we have all known such individuals. If we love them, as I do my friend, it is difficult to know how to handle the situation. The only fool greater than the person who knows it all is the one who argues with him.

Still, this makes me sad. If he thinks he knows everything, what incentive can there be to learn anything new? Can ignorance be far behind? In the superb novel "The Old Gringo," Mexican author Carlos Fuentes said of his main character: "He thought that he knew everything, and knowing everything was to know that there was something more to know." It doesn't seem possible to know everything about something, let alone everything about everything. The world is still a mystery even for the most intelligent and wise among us. Albert Einstein, who is generally accepted as one of the most knowledgeable men of our time, upon his death decried the fact that he was able to learn so little in a lifetime. Each child is born with the potential to redefine the world.

It is a possibility that remains with us until the day we die. Almost immediately after birth we begin to delve into the mystery with hungry eyes. Even the infant knows instinctively that survival depends upon knowledge. Later we learn to use all our faculties to gain the knowledge crave. This insatiable appetite to discover and understand does not diminish as we grow older.

During my almost-16-year career as a professor at USC, I never allowed a semester to pass without taking a course. My students could not imagine why someone with a Ph.D., who had already spent 21 years in formal education, would want more. I explained to them that in a real sense I was still an infant in terms of knowing about computer science, biology, philosophy and many other subjects. But like a child I still had the natural desire to fill in the gaps, even though I understood that I'd never know it all. I was, in other words, addicted to learning.

Experience is limitless. Boredom comes from limiting our minds to what we already know. Nothing short of death should ever prevent us from searching and stretching to learn more. Human history is highlighted by the stories of individuals who advanced the frontiers of knowledge by going beyond what was known. The darker periods of history are' marked by times when it was believed that all the answers had unfolded.

Our hope of moving forward into a peaceful, life-enhancing world depends on our willingness to see alternatives and assimilate new information, to inquire further and learn more. I have no illusions. I know that I'll never be able to learn everything, that it's insane to think that anyone can. Still, I am continually inquiring "tell me more," "show me," "how?" "why?" "when?" "where?" Even the simplest answer to any of these questions makes me a better human being and fills me with satisfaction. It doesn't matter to me that I won't ever know it all.

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