To find joy in learning, you should become an alien
An alien views the world with a beginner's mind. It aims for understanding rather than making assumptions.
Last night, I listened to an audio titled "Creative Noticing" by Rob Walker on the Waking Up app. The author shared the following insights:
"Innovation doesn't happen without original observation. What people often overlook in the creative process is the importance of paying close attention and engaging thoughtfully with the world and others."
For my part, observation is not only important for innovation but also crucial for the learning process. Without careful observation, you'll quickly become bored with your life and knowledge on paper.
Let's do a quick thought experiment to understand my point.
Please take a moment to think about the act of reading this text on Facebook. Reading is something you do a thousand times and you may not question it further. But now, imagine yourself as an alien.
You are an alien landing on Earth for the first time. The best thing is that you no longer have assumptions about the world. The alien pays attention to every tiny detail and seeks to understand its meaning and structure. An alien views the world with a beginner's mind. It aims for understanding rather than making assumptions.
Returning to the example of reading text on a screen, the human mind often sees something like "I am reading text on the screen." However, the alien's mind begins with a blank slate and asks the following questions:
To understand the process of the author writing his thoughts on a computer, it asks: “What is this creature?”, "How can this creature have thoughts in its brain?", "How is this creature moving its hands to create symbols on the screen?", "Do those symbols convey meaning? and how?"
To understand how technology and the internet work, it asks: "What is the device this creature is using?", "How do these devices communicate with each other?", "How does the screen produce light and colors?", “How does this machine calculate and process information?”.
To understand how the reader receives and understands text, it asks: “What device is this creature holding in its hand?”, "What is the visual system of this creature that allows it to receive information?", “How can the creature understand those symbols?”
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You see, the simple act of 'you reading this text on the screen' is utterly ordinary, but at the same time, it is a wonder of technology, engineering, biology, and evolution. But let’s think for a moment (as humans have lived on this Earth for many years): “How many questions can you answer from your alien friend?” and “What do you truly comprehend about the process of reading?”. Then, you quickly realize that you have no clue what all of this is about; you only have an assumption of understanding.
And because you assume that “reading is the normal aspect of daily life”, you find yourself with nothing more to discover. But when you become an alien, you leave your assumptions behind and realize you know too little about the world. You'll become more humble, observe more closely, and develop a curiosity for the wonders of everyday life. So that's why you should become an alien to find joy in learning.
Please share with me your alien thought
Right now, please take a moment to look deeply at any phenomenon before your eyes and employ the "Alien mindset" to question its nature. A complex world right there will open up for you to explore. Here are some examples:
If you find this way of thinking meaningful, feel free to share some of your observations in your daily life that amaze you. You can write a comment on my Facebook post (Link)
Below is from my friend:
Some of my writing with an 'Alien mindset'
We face boredom in our everyday lives, especially during long drives or, even worse, when stuck in traffic. However, paying close attention can turn life into a more enjoyable game because it opens up countless worlds to ponder and explore.
Marcel Proust once wrote, "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes." That is why close observation is central to both art and science, as practitioners in both disciplines describe, compare, and seek to understand or interpret the natural world (Lindsay, 2021). Below are the illustrations to show you different ways to perceive the world.
Last week, I conducted a workshop on the art of observation for middle and high school students, where I combined the three articles mentioned above into a 30-minute sharing session. You can find the slides here:
MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
I am looking for three students to mentor one-on-one about studying and note-taking skills. I want to listen to your learning and knowledge management challenges and create videos to address your questions. You can email me at ask.hoanglong@gmail.com and share a bit about your study and note-taking habits and why you would like me as a mentor. You can fill out this form: https://tally.so/r/mBdPoN. The registration deadline is September 30, 2023.
I'm looking forward to accompanying you because I have also faced many academic challenges. In my first year of university, I encountered numerous issues with note-taking, understanding lessons, and organizing knowledge. I was an average student throughout high school and felt insecure about my academic abilities. If I could go back in time, I would have wished for someone by my side to encourage me, ask me about my goals, and support me on my journey. That is why I want to be able to accompany you in your learning process.
For my part, becoming a mentor is a good way to learn because the sea of knowledge is endless. I can never read all research papers and theories. So, I want to prioritize learning to help solve students' problems. One advantage of this approach is that it helps me identify and focus on 'useful knowledge.' Useful knowledge is the information that brings value to you and others in life."
That's all for today. Thank you for reading this very long newsletter, I hope you can take away some valuable perspectives for your learning
Stay curious!
Hoàng Long