I spend a couple of hours last night watching a movie - Game Of Thrones. I was particular fascinated by the character Arya Stark, who was left into the world an orphan at a very young age but took the guts to learn how the real world operates.
Arya Stark
So, this morning I took some minutes to meditate and look at at my own life, my childhood and how I have grown to where I am today.
To Be Wise, First Learn To Be Foolish.
As a kid I remember growing up with an open mind. I was always wanting to try out everything. I wanted to be everything
- doctor, an engineer, astronaut, movie star, spy.
Just anything and everything that fascinate me at that moment. One thing was sure, I wasn't going to be all of those at the same time but I knew that whatever I'll settle with at the end of the day, I'll put in all my effort to be best.
Since I wasn't really sure of what to do and what to be, I decided to keep an open mind in trying out new things. To do this, I first have to be foolish. Foolish in the sense that I was always ready to learn from anybody. I remember once someone came to my house to preach to me about some religion and when he left my friends asked why I could sit to listen to a man who is teaching about some foreign religious belief. I answered that I cannot truly accept my own religion if I haven't taken the time to listen to others talk about their own beliefs. It is only when you are foolish enough to allow your own belief be challenged by some others that you can grow wisdom.
Ask Questions, Be Curious.
My foolishness led to a very curious mind. I always wanted to know what made a thing what it was. I spoiled the family radio set, trying to find out who's talking in the radio. well, that earned me some beatings but after a while experimenting with uncoupling and coupling radio sets, I became the village radio repairman. As a kid, I have tried everything I can in this life. My dad often times refused to have a conversation with me because he complained I ask too many questions (my mum nicknamed me the inquisitive, to this day). But the truth is my dad actually taught me the act of questioning things, maybe I went overboard I asked too much.
The act of questioning is an important skill that we all have to learn in this life. Most people posses what I call Read Only Memory. I read a lot of books growing up, sometimes I wonder where my interest in books have gone to. I picked up my first teaching job when I was 14, I was teaching my own colleagues in secondary school. Teaching allows me to feed my curiosity especially when I started teaching little kids. I knew as a teacher my kids have a lot of respect for what I tell them is true. These kids and their questions made me even more curious. They want to know everything and can ask you questions that truly can't be explain but you have to give them an answer. A child once asked me
If you say evaporation and condensation causes rain. Does it mean that evaporation stop happening in dry season? Or does it mean something hold back the rain during that period?
A curious mind will learn to first question itself. Many times we spend lots of time asking other people questions but fail to question our own self. That's a recipe for failure. Most answers we need in life can be answered by us if we spend a some time looking deep into our own life. Also, how many of us are curious enough to stay hungry for more?
Hunger For More
So you see, my foolishness led to curiosity but the more I learned, the more I want to know. I learned that being contented wasn't really my thing, I have to stay continually hungry. I was never satisfied, I keep trying out things hoping to achieve some level of perfection in what I do. I studied chemistry in the university, graduated second best student in a course I had no passion for. I have had many little businesses in the past, had my own success stories but I knew I have to keep looking for some greater sense of purpose.
What keep us ticking, it's hope and hunger for something bigger and better. But in your search for a greener pasture don't be an idealist and forget the reality of life. Remember you are human, and therefore don't try walking on water, except off course only if it freezes.
I'm glad that most of my audience are still in their prime age of early twenties to early thirties. Make very good use of this situation you are now. A lot is happening in the world right now, don't wait and be only an end user. Be foolish enough to unlearn some things you knew already, be curious enough to ask questions and try out new things, be hungry enough to seek out improvements.