the language of knowledge & the art of learning.

Hello friends, it’s been a couple weeks. As I’ve been nearing the end of this semester abroad…and also the end of my undergrad, I’ve been trying to work through the following ideas. These ideas have been floating around in the notes section of my phone for the last month or so and I’ve finally been able to sit down and sort it all out. Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading.

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There are countless influences that shape our worldviews. Plenty of iconic/cliché phrases have been created to speak to this idea. Here’s a few to start us off:

One of my greatest mentors has reminded me more than once that we don’t get to choose the cards we are dealt (good, bad, or neutral), but we can choose what we do with them.

I just watched Spiderman, so I as I write this I am thinking about the classic: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

And one more cliche to add to this conversation: “knowledge is power”

If we take these quotes at their typical, surface level perspective, it is easy to brush them off. We tend to apply them to positions of leadership instead of thinking about their application in our own lives. I guess it isn’t wrong to apply these ideas to world leaders and CEO’s, but I think it is part of the reason they feel out of reach or as if they don’t apply to us. Because we aren’t sitting in large leather office chairs or being pasted on the front of the New York Times, we forget that our knowledge and what we do with it has an incredible impact on the world.

But what we know is limited. Our knowledge depends on many things: what our job is, what we study, family history, where we live, etc. The list goes on. So what do you do when what you know changes? What do you do when your perspective is challenged?

Think about these questions for a moment. Let’s be honest with ourselves. What is our first reaction when we hear information that differs from what we know to be true?

I have been thinking about this theme a lot in relation to language. Language skills aren’t just important for finding a bathroom when you’re traveling. They are vital in getting a true understanding of the perspectives of people who speak a different language than your own. Knowing multiple languages gives you the opportunity to connect with more people and therefore access more of the knowledge and perspectives that make the world so complex and special.

Example one:

Many of my classes are taught in Spanish this semester, so we have had the chance to read papers/studies in Spanish. This has exposed me to perspectives that I wouldn’t have otherwise understood. A couple weeks ago, we read a study that looked at the perception of “extranjeros” (foreigners) in Mexico. I am sure it could have been written in or translated to English, but because of the way phrases are lost during translation I would have missed out on a level of understanding of the paper. Further, since I have to work harder to understand the words, I find myself thinking a little harder about the point of each paper. With each new reading and discussion, I increase my understanding of the world and practice my ability to accept (& apply) many ways of thinking and living.

Ahora, un ejemplo afuera de mis clases:

I mentioned that I went to a community farm a while back. As we wandered the farm, my friends (who work in community farms in the U.S.) pointed out some of the plants they had grown back home. While they spoke, I realized that I didn’t even have a guess about what some of the plants were. l feel generally confident in my understanding of U.S. production ag, markets, trade, policy, etc. but this experience with my friends at Huerta Comunitaria highlighted my personal limitations of knowledge. It doesn’t mean what I know is wrong. It just shows that my understanding of the food system is limited to what I know based on my previous experiences and sources of knowledge.

Later, as I thought about this encounter, we listened to a workshop on composting (I should highlight that it was taught in Spanish). The leaders were experts solely because of their experience and a desire to share what they have learned. I did my best to listen to and understand as much as possible. They had a whole wealth of knowledge to share that I would not have heard if I only understood English.

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It’s okay not to know things. It’s not okay to close yourself off from learning.

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I think we get frightened when we find out that we don’t know something. When something scares us we become defensive. The same thing happens when we hear something that is in disagreement with what we know as truth. How can we resist the urge to dig in our heels? How can we train ourselves to develop a mindset of genuine curiosity? Because while it is good to put down roots and have a foundation of knowledge, refusing to budge can inhibit our ability to grow and learn.

I admit I am not always perfect in my willingness to hear out differing ideas and I haven’t always put forward the necessary effort to get to know people with different backgrounds. Still, the more I realize how much I don’t know, the more I want to learn. It is a hard practice. It requires us to acknowledge our privileges and differences. It take a lot of patience and self-reflection. It takes honesty and vulnerability. Still, we can (and should) do it.

If I tried to create a tangible lesson from the quotes I mentioned at the beginning and the stories I shared it would be something like this:

What you do with what you know leaves powerful impacts on the world. We all have a responsibility to pay attention to the wealth of knowledge in front of us when hearing from someone who has a different experience than our own. As we learn from each other, we can use our new knowledge to shape our own worldviews and actions.

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Now, did I mention yet that I am in the last week of my semester…and undergrad studies?(*cue minor freak out *). It has me thinking a lot about how I have learned over the past four years. Sure, a lot of it happened in the classroom, but more of it happened just living.

I packed up and moved halfway across the country. I stuck a bunch of academic programs together to form my program of study. A pandemic happened. I had some pretty stellar jobs and leadership opportunities. I was able to find family in people who I didn’t know four years ago. I took the chance to move out of the country for a few months and see what I could learn about myself and the world outside of the U.S.

SO much has happened in a relatively short period of time. I feel like I learned something every day. It is a bit like a chapter of a book, or a painting, or a puzzle. No matter which way you look at it, learning and life is an art form and I have been working on one of the pieces for my exhibit over the past 4 years. I am so close to finishing it. Soon, I will get to hang it up in the gallery that shows the story of my life, look back on it with gratitude for all the lessons I have learned, and begin working on my next piece.