Of “What don’t I know?”

Throughout my intellectual pursuits, I have come to learn the different meanings of this question. When I was still a little boy, it served as a guide for me to choose what to learn. Ignorance is relative. I outline what I know and compare them in terms of depth and accuracy with that of my peers. A greedy learner, I would grab whatever was around me and absorb it as if I was a sponge.  

The few hours when I hid myself in bookshops had been the most wonderful moments in my childhood. Not able to afford the books I liked, I memorized them in the few hours when my mother was shopping and then regurgitated them in my notebook. I also remember how I competed with my friends in elementary school in getting the most questions right in “Who wants to be a millionaire?” It gave me great pleasure when I shouted “Eh, I didn’t know this” and went on to find out more in the library. 

Contrary to the common scene in primary schools in Malaysia (especially the Chinese elementary schools), I was fortunate enough to have teachers who encourage questions. To quench my curiosity, I even resorted to disturbing them during their tea breaks. Even after I entered high school, I still wrote to one of the teachers (who then furthered his study in Taiwan) to ask about calculus long before I was supposed to learn it.

However fun knowing more was, I was soon dragged into a black hole of confusion. Knowing more led me to more unknowns. While one source states that the velocity of light is constant regardless of reference frames, John Moffat’s research tells me that the velocity of light has actually slowed down with time.  The discovery of noble gas compounds such as xenon fluoride also contradicts the teaching in my Chemistry textbook that noble gases do not form compound with other elements. I had always taken Keris (or Kris), the asymmetrical dagger as a symbol of solely Malay culture. However, little did I know that it was, in essence and contrary to common misconception, a symbol of confluence of the myriad of cultures that existed in ancient Southeast Asia. (If you are interested in this, I recommend you the book "What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You-The Annexe Lecture Vol 1 " by Farish A. Noor)    

This realization then taught me that to completely believe one source is not a wise act. Due to differences in experiences, geographical regions, cultures and times, different people and sources have dissimilar and sometimes contradictory standpoints and opinions. In order to sort through this confusion, I have to learn from diverse sources to gain a complete picture. Then, based on this complete picture, we can make our own judgment after evaluating the reasoning and proofs behind those differing opinions. From then onwards, I strive to comprehend an idea using as many sources as I can.     

I was once proud of what I have learnt in investments and financial management through books and the internet. At a tender age of fifteen, I was able to discuss value investment, taxation and candlestick charts with my uncles. One day however, my curious little cousin asked me, "So, how much have you earned in your investment?”  I could not answer him as I had not started my investment portfolio back then. I felt shameful. I could never claim that I know something well unless I can apply it in life. From then on, I started learning not for the sake of knowing but also for to apply knowledge in life.   

This question is also important in exploring a new or immature field. The buildup of knowledge is actually a series of questions and answers. As I realized that most of our great ideas are inspired by uncontrollable dreams and not by systematic conscious thinking techniques, I started to become increasingly thrilled by the possibilities of detecting, simulating and modifying the general patterns of inspirations in dreams. If it could ever be done, it will soon be a new field of study which further broadens the scope of neuroscience. It will also generate a great leap in artificial intelligence technology once we can incorporate the thinking pattern of dreams into computers as such organic creativity is an important part of human minds. 

“What don’t I know?” As simple as it may seem to be, this question has helped me to build up my whole knowledge base. I am sure as I progress on in pursuing, applying and creating knowledge, I will find out more meanings behind this question.

                                                                                                                                                                     

This essay was written two years ago as a response to one of the admission essays questions. I like it very much. Hence, this post.

                                                                                                                                                                  

Comments are welcomed and encouraged on ZewSays.com, but there are some instances where comments will be edited or deleted as follows:
1) Comments deemed to be spam or questionable spam will be deleted. Including a link to relevant content is permitted, but comments should be relevant to the post topic.
2) Comments including profanity will be deleted.
3) Comments containing language or concepts that could be deemed offensive will be deleted.
4) Comments that attack a person individually will be deleted.
The owner of this blog reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice. This comment policy is subject to change at anytime.

Facebook Blogger Plugin: Created by ZewSays.com

Tweet