AlittleBetter.net

Pushing Understanding

June 22, 2009

I like to read some heavy reading, and a lot of times it can be hard to understand. Like the first time I tried to read the Communist Manifesto I had to have a dictionary next to me, and I was looking up every other word. I still didn’t finish it the first time, I had to go back to it after I had read enough political writings that I understood the language usage better. Right now I’m reading Plato’s Republic, and while I’m understanding it much better than I initially understood Marx it is still pushing my mind to follow the conversations. I’ve got the gist and its getting easier as I go, but its still a challenge.

Recently I was scolded for answering a question to two young teenagers about why I had become a vegetarian. I told them that I watched a few documentaries and read some writers like Ghandi and it started bugging me, and since it bugged me I decided not to mess with it. I was scolded for confusing them. The kids I was talking to told me they were not confused, and said that they understood my answer, but the person scolding me seemed to feel that on the basis of their age that even if they did not understand that they would not be able to ask questions. Which was how the whole conversation was started to begin with, by asking questions.

What I’ve found is that even when I’m completely confused, as long as I can ask, “what does that mean?” or investigate an idea further, than I’ve been able to push myself to at least get a general idea of the subject. I’ve grown by diving into ideas that I did not understand, and asking as many questions as I thought of in order to try to understand them. When there was no one to ask questions I did searches for my answers. This has started to teach me, and I say started because I have a lot more to learn, the value of asking questions about things that I do not understand, even when I don’t understand the answers at first.

If someone asks you a question that you don’t think they’ll understand the answer to, the least you can do is try. The person may surprise you on how much they are able to understand, and even if they don’t understand it exposing people to new ideas is still good for them. I didn’t finish Marx the first time, but because I tried I understood references to Marx it made other things easier to understand.

Entry Filed under: reading. .