vejktoro:
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As it turns out I've left and returned over and over, only to realize that of all the languages I've bothered to bother myself with, it is by far Esperanto that I use the most after my native tongue.

This is exactly my main argument for Esperanto, at least for English-speakers. I, too, left and returned after my initial "honeymoon" period with the language. The grammar was a cakewalk even then (I had years of Spanish in school), but I lacked in practical experience and vocabulary and eventually fell out of learning it. A random postcard from a Lernu user got me back, and I've made it a habit to participate in the forums here and read Esperanto articles/etc. at least several times a week.

In my first forum post I got more use out of Esperanto than ever did from Spanish, even with having almost a decade of Spanish classes. Natural languages require a ton of memorization of irregular and sometimes pointless grammar (like assigning a sex to tables, chairs, etc.), and to have meaningful conversations with natives you need to learn a lot of cultural/historical information.

The most use I've ever gotten out of Spanish has been reading Menus and understanding a few words of unsubtitled Spanish in movies/shows.

Saying Esperanto is not practical is like saying gardening, woodworking, home-brewing, etc. are not practical. The practicality of these hobbies does not lie in their "practicality". It will almost certainly be cheaper and the beer will probably taste better when I buy it from a professional micro-brewery instead of making it myself -- that is not the point of the hobby. A hobbyist woodworker isn't bothered that it is impractical to hand-sand the chair they just made, or to even make it in the first place.

kaŝperanto: The practicality of these hobbies does not lie in their "practicality". It will almost certainly be cheaper and the beer will probably taste better when I buy it from a professional micro-brewery instead of making it myself.

Might I add to your cleaver analogy; this is where the basics get you, with a little study and experience your product will get better and better until it punts other brews clear out of your refrigerator... should you choose to dedicate the time.

Saying Esperanto is not practical is like saying gardening, woodworking, home-brewing, etc. are not practical

Esperanto is not just a hobby occupation. It has an ulterior purpose.

Of course if you disregard this purpose, then you no more need to justify learning Esperanto than to, say, taking up brass rubbing.

But to present Esperanto as a pastime is not going to get us 50 million speakers.

sudanglo:...But to present Esperanto as a pastime is not going to get us 50 million speakers.

There must be intrinsic value of speaking/learning the language.

There must also be extrinsic value.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a good starting point for marketing, I think. If Esperanto can fulfill one of these needs then that should probably be the way it is marketed.

sudanglo:

Saying Esperanto is not practical is like saying gardening, woodworking, home-brewing, etc. are not practical

Esperanto is not just a hobby occupation. It has an ulterior purpose.

Of course if you disregard this purpose, then you no more need to justify learning Esperanto than to, say, taking up brass rubbing.

But to present Esperanto as a pastime is not going to get us 50 million speakers.

Esperanto itself has this ulterior purpose, but that doesn't mean that someone who learns it needs to have this purpose. The woodworker's chair is made for sitting, but that's still not why he/she made the chair.
There is definitely that fine line between pure pastime and useful hobby, but I have no doubt that Esperanto lies firmly in the latter category.

My analogy was more directed at those who seem to think that they would be wasting their time learning Esperanto when they would be doing exactly the same by learning Italian or Spanish.

A better analogy: A bank teller who learns Java (highly valuable skill for those in the tech field) is wasting her time just as much as she would be by learning Scheme, if she has no intention of becoming a programmer professionally. Java's purpose is to be used by software engineers to make programs, but that's not to say it can't be learned as a hobby (ignoring its ulterior purpose).

I’ve studied it off and on, more off than on, for several years. I pick it up for awhile, then gradually wander away because other commitments leave me with little time or other languages have greater importance for a time. But I always come back. A month ago I walked away from Lernu, not decisively or permanently, but just because I was discouraged. I completed multiple courses but still felt a major inability to express myself effectively or communicate in real time at all. I had/have a considerable vocabulary, but reading was still a struggle. But I will wander back. I enjoy the language, and I enjoy studying languages even more. The main impediment to Esperanto in my life is the lack of necessity for it and the considerably greater importance and urgency of several other languages. It is hard to justify spending time continuing to study Esperanto when it needs to be spent elsewhere on languages that will more directly impact my life and work.

For many Esperantists the 'road to Damascus' event is the attendance at an international Esperanto congress. It usually produces a massive jump in active command of the language.

Of course it is much easier to get the total immersion experience over here in Europe than in the States.

JEllis:I’ve studied it off and on, more off than on, for several years. I pick it up for awhile, then gradually wander away because other commitments leave me with little time or other languages have greater importance for a time. But I always come back. A month ago I walked away from Lernu, not decisively or permanently, but just because I was discouraged. I completed multiple courses but still felt a major inability to express myself effectively or communicate in real time at all. I had/have a considerable vocabulary, but reading was still a struggle. But I will wander back. I enjoy the language, and I enjoy studying languages even more. The main impediment to Esperanto in my life is the lack of necessity for it and the considerably greater importance and urgency of several other languages. It is hard to justify spending time continuing to study Esperanto when it needs to be spent elsewhere on languages that will more directly impact my life and work.

It sounds like Esperanto has significant competition in your case, but hopefully you stick with it. The only languages I have competing with Esperanto are for computers (although I was trying to learn some Russian when I was still planning on going to the SES there). I often wonder if Esperanto is "so easy that it's hard". You can get to such a high level of grammar understanding so quickly that you are left in the "can read anything, but only with a dictionary" stage for a long time. It gets discouraging when you have to look up several words in everything you read, and when you can't write without a dictionary.

Stick with it. I can tell you from experience that there will come a day when you can't remember the last time you didn't already know the word of the day. The core words will be second nature to you, and picking up new words will become vastly easier. Just make it a habit of using your abilities at least once or twice a week.

sudanglo:For many Esperantists the 'road to Damascus' event is the attendance at an international Esperanto congress. It usually produces a massive jump in active command of the language.

Of course it is much easier to get the total immersion experience over here in Europe than in the States.

I'm hoping that is the case for me. I can already listen to podcasts and understand just about everything, but speaking/writing/thinking in Esperanto is not quite where I'd like it to be.

kaŝperanto:Saying Esperanto is not practical is like saying gardening, woodworking, home-brewing, etc. are not practical. The practicality of these hobbies does not lie in their "practicality". It will almost certainly be cheaper and the beer will probably taste better when I buy it from a professional micro-brewery instead of making it myself -- that is not the point of the hobby. A hobbyist woodworker isn't bothered that it is impractical to hand-sand the chair they just made, or to even make it in the first place.

I guess this is probably the way I should look at Esperanto. Every few months I get the urge to learn it again, but I refuse to let myself just enjoy the language. Maybe that's something I'll have to do.

Thanks to everyone for their replies. All have been read and appreciated, even if I didn't respond individually!

Oy, so listen, VocabGuy, here's the deal, okay. You should loin Esperanto an' we'll give'ya de Brooklyn Bridge! It's a steal, believe me! My own babushka couldn't get a betta' cut! So let's sĥake on it!