You are in the middle of a group conversation. Interesting topics come up. There might be topics that are out of your reach. Topics that you haven't dived into in your personal time. Topics that require knowing elements that aren't within your reach, yet. There are many people who are conscious of the limitations of their knowledge when engaged in conversation. There are many others that are not.
'Beware the knowers, as they are afraid of what they do not know' says Charles Bukowski. I agree. I believe it takes humbleness and a certain level of awareness to say 'I don't know' as an answer to a question, willingly and unashamed. However, there is a fine line between 'not knowing' and 'not wanting to know'. Here is where we must make a careful distinction. Not knowing involves being aware that there are areas of knowledge that you haven't discovered, but are willing to discover when the right moment presents itself. Perhaps, when not knowing much about a topic in the midst of a conversation, you can ask questions after stating that you don't know something. Say "I don't know, but, can you tell more about 'x', I'd like to learn about it." There should be no shame in not knowing.
I'll tell you an anecdote from my college experience, where I was in a macroeconomics class, senior year. Our professor would ask questions randomly to anyone throughout the class, to confirm we had the knowledge that should've been acquired until that point in class. He selected me, I'd often give thoughtful answers, however, this time in particular, I wasn't understanding the topic of the moment. There it came, the professor threw a question at me that I did not know the answer to. I bluntly said, "I don't know sir, but I'd like to have a better idea of it by the end of the class". By that point in time, as a senior year economics under-grad, it should have been a straight forward answer, but I didn't know it, and that's valid. I remember classmates looking at me surprised, some of them with a smurk of jugment after I said 'I don't know'. Not because I usually knew, but because it's uncommon to answer like that to a professor, specially to a question that was relatively easy for the course.
Anyways, saying that you don't know something, but adding that you'd like to know more about it regardless, brings 2 things to the table:
- Puts you in a learner's seat, thus learning faster.
- You gain self-confidence, as you are able to show yourself vulnerable by having willingness to learn.
The Learner's Seat
The learner's seat is a humbling place, where you cruise through the reigns of learning FAST. When you're aware of the fact that you don't know about a topic, added to possessing interest in the topic, you will learn faster, because what you don't know, doesn't bring fear, thus not limiting your learning threshold.
When learning new things that you are interested about, getting rid of your preconceptions of knowledge in regards to them, is the best advice I can give to you. Why is it so hard for adults to learn new things? Because adults have many preconceptions of what they think they know about 'x' topic, so the neuroplasticity in their brains isn't as flexible as that of children, who learn exceedingly fast. For example, an adult will struggle much more to learn to play the guitar, than a child, because they have formed a preconception of how the guitar should work, and how the fingers should move and feel on the cords of the guitar. On the other hand, a child has absolutely no background about what a guitar should feel like.
No preconception of knowledge = Faster learning.
Computers will always be smarter than humans, not because they are automatic, but because they apply what they learn instantly, unlike humans, whom must get rid of previously formed patterns to engage in new ones. This happens in all levels of knowledge, we learn faster when we are aware of what we don't know, and that what we don't know still isn't the whole picture.
Vulnerability and Willingness to Learn
Admitting you don't know something, or that you don't know much about it, gives you self-confidence to kickstart acquiring new knowledge. Being humble with learning anything in this life, is what gives us the awareness to know that we are learners, not masters, and also the power to believe in ourselves.
Being vulnerable and having willingness to learn, is the perfect formula to learn. You might not know much right now, but being aware of it, gives you power to learn, and to learn fast.
There is nothing worse than assuming we know more than we think we do.
Again, "beware the knowers, as they are afraid of what they do not know"....
Hope this article gives you more perspective about learning new things and being aware of the fact that you can learn anything, as long as you show yourself vulnerable and humble in the face of the unknown.
-Aritz.