Why ‘I Know’ Are The Two Most Destructive Words To Learning.
We all laugh at Little Britain’s wheelchair-bound Andy Pipkin when he constantly retorts ‘Yea - I know’ to just about everything his selflessly dedicated carer Lou says to him. That’s because he clearly doesn’t listen, doesn’t understand, and plainly doesn’t really know at all.
To be open to the learning process, we must be careful not to subconsciously assume that we know all about something, when often our understanding of a subject is quite limited. Two people might both have the same amount of knowledge on a topic, but the one who feels he/she knows least and is open-minded to learning more will ultimately be the better educated one, with a much deeper comprehension.
Mentally assuming ‘I know’ is a directive to our inner consciousness that all is well, and there is nothing more to be learned about a subject. Adopting such an ‘ignorance is bliss’ type attitude is hardly conducive to learning and study, as our depth of understanding will always remain shallow.
Going through lessons just to say we’ve done them will achieve nothing if we’re convinced that we know it all. Mentally, the gate is locked, and so new material will go straight over our heads, as if it wasn’t actually there at all. A closed mind won’t even recognise knowledge when it’s presented.
Some people learn new things every year, whereas others just experience the same thing year after year. To get more out of life (and learning), adopt a child-like, inquisitive attitude. That way you’ll see things that others miss, and add more depth and breadth to your personality.
Going over something several times can really enhance your involvement in the subject. Looking at something again with a fresh pair of eyes and a willingness to find out more can be really enjoyable. Re-watching a DVD of a stand-up comedian proves this point - we rarely get all the meat out of one viewing, and many subtleties are missed the first time around.
Sometimes, reviewing information challenges our current understanding. We then need to dig in further, to test whether we had understood something correctly, or whether we need to modify our original thoughts. Only an open-minded approach will solidify knowledge at this level.
Society has developed over the years because of open-minded people keen to progress the thinking of their age. Those who ‘know everything’ can never improve, and their ‘knowledge’ becomes stagnant. Those who embrace the ideas and wisdom of others become the most valuable people on earth.