In Einstein:
His Life and Times (Page 185), P. Frank quotes the great maestro as stating,
“The value of an education in a liberal arts college is not the learning of
many facts, but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be
learned from textbooks.”
Education is neither a means to an
end nor an end unto itself as many people believe it to be. Rather, it is
just the beginning for something bigger to come later in life. As
Einstein said, education is not the regurgitation of facts alone, in fact, it
is the training of the mind. Education should give an individual the
ability to think independently and ask questions to learn, hypothesize and
thence to form their own opinions. I believe it to be the beginning of a
journey of living, doing, learning and growing. It provides that
foundational layer on which you base your knowledge, analysis and, ultimately,
judgment in making decisions.
When you superimpose
experience/exposure onto education – you are blessed with knowledge. But,
it is this mixture of education; knowledge and your own creativity that
actually helps you make sound decisions. How you use these three
ingredients to problem solve is like a Monte Carlo simulation because the
iterations are many, and the outcomes infinite.
So, which path will determine your
success in overcoming an adversity? Or, in achieving that goal you’ve set your
heart on? Or, even to find that one cause that you will so passionately
work for? If the present moment does not know the landscape, the answer
cannot be known in advance. However, that does not mean that there is no
answer. You just have to seek it, within you. As a human being you
cannot exist in a vacuum for the rest of your life because life is not
discrete, it is a continuous pattern of emergence and unraveling of
events. It is an endless process of questioning, seeking, finding and
modifying, amalgamating, and sequencing the facts that will help you overcome a
challenge, or bring you one step closer to your goal.
The search starts with facts so
always lay them out in plain sight, preferably on a white board as if you were
going to start painting a picture. Interweave these facts together and
spread them out by drilling down into details if necessary so that the gaps
between them are minimized. Once this activity is done reasonably well,
you can then start filling out the blanks with guesstimates or opinions of
people that are experts in the field. A story starts to unfold.
Some actions come into focus. And, eventually, a hazy path emerges.
What do you do? Take the risk
of going down this unknown path that may lead to nothingness? Or, go back
to the drawing board once again? If you feel like you should keep going
then reject this option and repeat the iteration with varying quantities of
creativity and knowledge. Keep trying until you get what you were looking
for – as they say, ‘perseverance commands success.’ Your self-awareness
will be your guiding light.
Perfection in good decision making
will only come when you can find this delicate balance between your head and
heart. That is why people give some weight to their intuition because it
has averted many a disaster for them in the past. Mind you, intuition
should only be considered once you have looked at all the relevant facts and
if, and only if, your gut has a better than average batting rate. If the
historical record for your sixth sense is tainted, one reason could be a lack
of emotional intelligence (one of the ingredients for wisdom). In this
case, carefully review and revisit all the facts along with the estimates – it
is probably that the estimates are too lousy. Seek guidance from experts
or mentors, consider opposing viewpoints and try to reconcile the
differences. Once you’ve done this and narrowed the options to a few,
then score each option on various dimensions. Compare, contrast and,
finally, connect the dots not looking backward but on an ex-ante basis.
After all, your decision today will affect your path tomorrow so you better
ensure that it is well thought out and thoroughly explored.
