What they don’t teach you in class!

 ‘Hi Rinku,’ said Rahul. ‘First day at college. What do we do?’

‘Enjoy the freedom, make lots of mischief,’ said Rinku.

‘But is there a way to get the best out of college - learn and also have fun?’ asked Rahul.

‘Of course, there is,’ said Rakesh, Rinku’s older brother, their senior. ‘But you won’t learn these valuable tips in class. You’ll learn them in our ‘Dreams Unlimited’ Canteen. Come, hang out there and you’ll learn some practical stuff. You can come with me if you wish.’

‘Sounds interesting,’ said Rahul.

Rakesh led them to the canteen. Students lounged about chatting, cracking jokes and having fun. Rakesh seemed popular - he greeted everyone and ordered coffee.

‘Ok,’ said Rakesh. ‘To learn and to have fun at college, revisit Socrates.’

‘What?’ said Rahul.

‘Step into college with an ‘I don’t know’ attitude,’ said Rakesh. ‘Remember  what Socrates famously said - All I know is that I don’t know anything?’

‘But,’ said Rahul. ‘People will laugh at us. I want to be the smartest.’

‘Let them laugh. You will have the last laugh. This is how it works. You know a little. And you don’t know a lot. Even in what you know, you are not very sure about it. Am I right? ’

‘Hmm, yes,’ said Rinku and Rahul.

 ‘So instead of saying ‘I know, I know’ and fooling yourself, say ‘I don’t know’. Then you can learn what you don’t know. Makes sense?’

‘But can’t we act like we know and learn later?’ asked Rahul. ‘We won’t look so foolish then.’

‘What’s really foolish is acting like you know when you don’t,’ said Rakesh. ‘The really smart ones learn from everyone by saying ‘I don’t know’. All your growth comes from asking questions, not from knowing the answers which you already know. In fact, this conversation began because you asked this question – how can we make college fun and learning? Ask questions, engage in discussions and learn.’

‘Can you give an example on how to go about it bhaiyya?’ asked Rinku.

‘Ok, we talked about Socrates. What do you know about him?’ asked Rakesh.

‘He was a philosopher wasn’t he?’ said Rinku. ‘From Athens?’

‘Yes, anything else you want to know about him?’

‘What period was he in, why is he such a great philosopher…,’ said Rinku. ‘Oh there are many questions.’

‘Then why not ask, discuss right now? Ask how many cups of tea the canteen sells every day? How much he earns? If you ask, you learn something new. If you don’t, your learning stops. Now, are you ready for our canteen initiation ritual? Say, ‘I don’t know’ as loudly as you can.’

Both Rahul and Rinku said in unison - ‘I don’t know’.  Everyone around them clapped. Rinku and Rahul looked around sheepishly.

‘It feels funny,’ said Rinku. ‘But it is freeing. I feel more honest and open now.’

 ‘There’s a Zen story?’ asked Rakesh. ‘A well-read man asks a Zen master to teach him Zen. The master quietly pours tea into a cup and continues pouring. The man points out that the cup is overflowing. Upon which the master tells him that he cannot add anything to a cup that is full.  What does it mean?’

‘That we must empty our cup if we want to learn something new,’ said Rahul.

‘Wow!’ said Rinku. ‘Thanks bhaiyya. You rid us of the burden of ‘knowing’. I feel light.’

‘But where’s the fun part?’ asked Rahul. 

‘Good q, Rahul, imagine how many people you can interact with and ask questions,’ said Rakesh. ‘The canteen wala, waiters, rickshaw walas, lecturers, students …you can make many friends and learn many things. Every person is a source of knowledge, a new story.’

‘Hmm,’ said Rahul. ‘You are right. I can approach anyone with questions.’

‘Yes,’ laughed Rakesh. ‘That was fun. Thanks for asking the right question Rahul.’

‘I know,’ said Rahul.

They all laughed.

Practice:  Get comfortable with saying ‘I don’t know’. Empty your vessel. Practice asking questions. Probe, engage, discuss and you are on the way.

 

 

Exercise: Say ‘I don’t know’ loudly and be comfortable with it. Make a quick inventory of three things you don’t know (but act like you know) about the subject/class. Ask around and find those answers right now. You’re three answers better.