I too stopped learning it, but now have regained interest after failing to learn Dutch (well I felt I wasn't progressing far enough for the effort I was putting in). Like you, I thought it would be more useful to learn a language spoken in a place, and by a people, but I'm simply too busy with various commitments to give it all of my attention (which it requires).

We all learn for different reasons. Personally, I learn Esperanto because I enjoy exercising my brain, but for others, it's the social aspect. I would like to get people close to me to learn it, and I have tried.

I might find a use for it one day, but for now, I like that it is strongly related to Latin words which I like to connect meanings with. For example, aliĝi - to join (sounds like allegiance which has similar meaning).

Whatever you do, I hope you find the happiness through education you seem to desire.

I choose a lot of things to pick up that are not that popular and require putting forth much more effort to succeed. Of all the instruments I could have chosen, I picked the ocarina. I am still determined to achieve playing it well and upgrade to a double. sheet music has to be made for it by those who play it or ordered online. It has to be played with very particular breath control in order that the notes sound right. It takes a long time to achieve but is well worth it when you can eventually play beautiful music. It reminds me of Esperanto because it still has a long way to go and all those that play it have to spread the word about it.

oliviakw:

AllenHartwell:Don't let the door hit you, traitor.

Bro, seriously? Your not helping anyone, your making things worse. Your a fool to call someone you have no clue about a traitor. Don't assume I'll stop learning Esperanto, I may just need a break.

Don't give this POS troll's posts any further consideration. It has done nothing but plague the English (and recently Esperanto) forums with its ridiculous uber-zealot act.

On the subject at hand, I believe I can offer some perspective. I learned Spanish from elementary through high school, and had learned pretty much all of the conjugations and grammar by the time I stopped studying it (just before the AP class). Spanish is perhaps the most useful foreign language in my area, but I just never have a use for it in my daily life. Perhaps if you are in services or in the language business itself you may have an occasional use for such a skill, but otherwise it is just as "useless" as Esperanto the majority of the time. I imagine it is much, much more difficult to find speakers of Spanish, German, etc. who are willing to speak their language with you than it is to find an Esperantist who is willing to speak with you. Nearly every Esperantist wants to talk to strangers from foreign lands -- especially if they are beginners. Odds are, an Esperantist will want to talk in Esperanto with you. You can't say so much about Spanish, German, etc. speakers.

Ironically, I came to esperanto from Spanish to learn a useful language. My definition of useful may just be different from yours. I see Esperanto in the same way a hobbyist carpenter sees woodworking. He/she enjoys using hand tools and taking time to work the wood properly, and takes great joy in the process of woodworking as well as in its results. This is entirely different from how a professional carpenter treats woodworking (a means to an end). In many cases natural languages are a means to an end, while Esperanto is an end.

You also have the philosophical/cultural aspect of Esperanto, which is very accepting (regardless of what some might say). It is one of those activities that makes you feel a sense of camaraderie with other practitioners. An example I can give of this is riding motorcycles (a recently acquired hobby of mine). You have sportbikes, cruisers, harleys, touring bikes, and choppers -- each with their own respective fanbase. In many ways some of these groups couldn't be more different from one another. But on the road these differences do not matter, and we (well, most of us) do the "low-peace" wave when we pass other bikers as a sign of mutual respect and camaraderie.
Reading back what I wrote sounds kind of silly, but every time I pass another rider it puts a smile on my face when we exchange waves. It is just an entirely different experience than driving a cage (err, car).

oliviakw:I choose a lot of things to pick up that are not that popular and require putting forth much more effort to succeed. Of all the instruments I could have chosen, I picked the ocarina. I am still determined to achieve playing it well and upgrade to a double. sheet music has to be made for it by those who play it or ordered online. It has to be played with very particular breath control in order that the notes sound right. It takes a long time to achieve but is well worth it when you can eventually play beautiful music. It reminds me of Esperanto because it still has a long way to go and all those that play it have to spread the word about it.

Props for learning the ocarina. I got one on a whim several years ago, and they are indeed a very different instrument. You have quite an unprecedented amount of control on the pitch, and I almost felt like I was whistling in a way when playing it.
I ultimately found that a tin whistle suited me better, though (don't have to drop buku bucks to get more range in a double/triple).

While doing unpopular and difficult things is commendable, you should not be doing them for that reason alone. It sounds like you do believe in the ocarina, and hopefully you will also believe in Esperanto in the future.

oliviakw:Has anyone ever stopped learning Esperanto?

Short answer: Yes. People come and go; sometimes they take a break and come back, sometimes they leave forever, and sometimes they remain active in the movement until their dying day.

And all of that is okay. Even if you leave Esperanto forever, that doesn't make you a traitor. Why? Because you never swore any loyalty to it! Getting an account on lernu!, or buying an Esperanto textbook, or entering the E-o community in any way does not constitute a vow to use Esperanto for the rest of your life. Maybe there is somebody who pledges allegiance to the Green Flag, but that is certainly not mandatory. This is not a cult. We aren't going to try to track you down and make your life miserable if you leave. To use or not use E-o is totally voluntary.

Of course, we prefer people to stick it out for the long haul. But we (at least, those who aren't trolls) also acknowledge individual liberty to decide what to do with one's own life. If, after thinking it through, you conclude that Esperanto doesn't fill a need in your life, and your time would be better spent learning German or something else, than I would say you should do that. If you conclude that Esperanto is valuable to you and want to keep learning and using it, than we will be glad to have you with us! It is your responsibility to make the most of your life to the best of your knowledge.

AllenHartwell:........

Troll alert.
Pay no attention to this one.
He is always trying to stir up trouble.

Esperanto has a verb which means to give up on Esperanto (or more precisely to retire from the movement because you are fed up with the Esperantists). It's kabei

I am on my third cycle of studying Esperanto. I love studying languages, but I have started and stopped half a dozen without ever maintaining real functionality afterward. I have specific reasons for learning Esperanto and a few goals I hope to achieve. But largely my motivation is personal. I enjoy learning, and I want very much to achieve meaningful fluency in additional languages. There is a lot I enjoy about Esperanto, so I would probably study it even if it were not considered "easy." But to some extent, part of my motivation for continuing to study it is to get a win under my belt. It is not the only language I am actively studying, and I know my progress would be greater if I only focused on one. But it is fun. It is usable (even at my meager level), and it helps me better understand the structure and function of languages, which makes me a better student of other languages.

After starting and stopping twice and now making a third attempt, I truly regret taking the breaks I did. When I feel unmotivated, I cut back on the volume of work I am doing each day, but so far at least, I am keeping at it. I don't want to wonder a year from now where I would be as an Esperantist if only I have persisted.

It's amazing to me how learning a language (or learning anything significant) must be justified as "useful", when nobody asks that question when spending long weekends watching sporting events, or endless hours listening to pop music, or spending a day shopping for trivial items.

Bruso:It's amazing to me how learning a language (or learning anything significant) must be justified as "useful", when nobody asks that question when spending long weekends watching sporting events, or endless hours listening to pop music, or spending a day shopping for trivial items.

Great point! The journey itself can (and in many cases, should) be part of both the motivation and reward.