Quick response to Jason's comment

There are so many things--and financial literacy is perhaps the most important, and nutrition is up there, too--for which people could just learn the basics and reap exponential rewards. Schools are making more of an effort to teach the basics of financial literacy.

One of the coworkers with whom I'm traveling was just saying this morning that he'd learned a language--in college and then through tapes--and forgot it through disuse. I definitely feel mine slipping sometimes. Once you get to a certain point, they come back once you need them, but if you don't get to that point, it's harder.

As someone who did devote myself to learning languages, I have very little in pragmatism to show for it (my portfolio certainly has not benefited). Which is not to say that I have any regrets... but it does take time and energy, and that has to come at the expense of other stuff.