Re:The power of admitting ignorance
by ChrisMarshallNY on Saturday May 02, 2020 @09:38AM
(#23051705)
I guess part of my issue, is that I'm "on the spectrum," so my drivers and motivations are very different from many folks.
I'm not very competitive. In American culture, that makes me a "reject," but I have always felt that I need to get by on my own merit; whether or not that compares favorably to anyone else.
People who know more than I do are not "competitors." They are resources.
The biggest issue that I have with people (and I am guilty of this, myself), is the tendency to ascribe motive to behavior.
In my case, I'm dead wrong -a lot- (See "on the spectrum," above). I've just learned that my projections of motive are usually wrong, so I have come to ignore them, and concentrate on the facts that are on the table (as opposed to in my head).
If I want to impress the teacher, I do good work. If I want to learn the topic, I ask questions to resolve gaps.
It really is that simple.
A class is just a transitory experience. If I fail to learn the subject matter because I'm afraid of what these people that I'll probably never see again think about me, I have no one to blame but myself.
I'm not very competitive. In American culture, that makes me a "reject," but I have always felt that I need to get by on my own merit; whether or not that compares favorably to anyone else.
People who know more than I do are not "competitors." They are resources.
The biggest issue that I have with people (and I am guilty of this, myself), is the tendency to ascribe motive to behavior.
In my case, I'm dead wrong -a lot- (See "on the spectrum," above). I've just learned that my projections of motive are usually wrong, so I have come to ignore them, and concentrate on the facts that are on the table (as opposed to in my head).
If I want to impress the teacher, I do good work. If I want to learn the topic, I ask questions to resolve gaps.
It really is that simple.
A class is just a transitory experience. If I fail to learn the subject matter because I'm afraid of what these people that I'll probably never see again think about me, I have no one to blame but myself.