Today, I was speaking with an online acquaintance about the importance of curiosity and how it had to do with increased intelligence, also the need to ask questions, not only of others, but also of ourselves. Interestingly enough, last year, I was having nearly an identical dialogue with another acquaintance, Jared Kent, a think tanker engineer type. Jared stated to this concept of questions and curiosity; “Agreed, curiosity and questions produce more thinking which creates more curiosity and questions… and so on.” Let’s talk.
Okay so, maybe the most appropriate answer for a teacher might be a question which allows the student to answer their own question or ask more and so on. Jared suggests that the importance of “continuing the line of questions to bring someone out and engage them with really good questions. Just as in a conversation (when trying to converse on higher level thoughts) a person must ask the right questions to engage their converser. A teacher must continue asking questions to engage their student and allow the student to grow.”
Indeed, I see it and I agree – yes, because I’ve often noted that I learn more, and gain greater insight to the fresh mind asking me a question or better yet, someone from a totally different domain, relating it to their endeavors. I met a gal once online and she was a wind surfer, parasail surfer, and her concept of the “flow of thought” was completely intriguing, and the questions she asked, without even realizing it, took me to a new place to think. Same happens with children, teens, or people from other nationalities, cultures, countries, ways of life or specialists in their endeavors. Someday we will be able to have a conversation with the other elite (higher-end cognition) species of the planet too – dolphins, whales, giant squid, chimpanzees (already happening), etc.
Now then, what about other cultures? What about the Chinese Culture for instance, does their authoritative based education system curtain questions thus, causing a lack of innovative ideas? Jared asked me those questions as well – an intriguing line of thought, but also in the true spirit of asking questions to help in the thinking process – thus, a perfect example here in this article to make my point right?
And to his question, yes, I have in fact talked with some very bright Chinese scholars before, and they are amazed at my insight not being in their field, they immediately assume I am one of them – in their area of science, just by my fast reasoning on their topics. One gentleman I talked with studied in Russia and came back to China, and works on seismic studies, I couldn’t understand why he didn’t ask the questions, he kept saying; “I have never thought of that,” and I am like; “How come, you’ve been in that science for 20-years?” Please consider all this and think on it.
