The World Is Our Teacher

Knowledge ultimately comes from one source. The world. Reality. Call it what you want.

Your mother warned you not to touch a hot stove, it will burn you. Where did she learn that? Someone in the past once learned the hard way, told someone else, who told your mother. That’s the only way.

All knowledge, all wisdom, all “common sense” was once unknown.

Understanding this, don’t be too discouraged when you feel like you don’t know enough to reach your ambitious goal. This is common to everyone. No one has all the answers. Only the world does.

There are two lessons to myself I’d like to write stemming from this thought.

First, be humble and curious. It is difficult to become wise in this world on only your personal experience.

Leverage others. There is a wealth of knowledge sitting in the life stories and expertises of the people around you. A single humble, curious conversation with an old person can teach you much about life. I aim to seek this wisdom relentlessly every day.

Second, when you reach the edge of experience, experiment courageously.

Experimentation is ignoring unfounded opinions and asking the world to be your direct teacher. And the world will gladly accept.

It will show you what is right and what is wrong through results. “Success” and “failure” are just measures of your ability to act correctly according to the world.

(The quote goes. “Life gives the test first, then the lesson afterwards.”)

Becoming a student of the world means experimenting. Like a scientist, holding no sacred opinions, only theories, and being willing to change your mind as soon as reality reveals itself further.

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