NO EXCUSE for ignorance

I adore the internet and cable tv, books, magazines, journals and newspapers. It is my greatest joy in life to be reading and learning something new. There was a long running joke among my friends when I was younger that I was a nerd trapped in the body of a porn star. I don’t know about the porn star bit but a nerd, definitely! Who else would be gripped by the story of Gregor Mendel, the father of modern genetics? (I highly recommend the book A Monk and Two Peas by Robin Marantz Henig, if you can get your hands on it).

My love of learning for its own sake, I inherited from my father who read a lot and collected books on anything he could get his hands on. I don’t think we all have to know everything, that would make us gods.

Rather, whatever is of interest to you, learn as much as you can about it, become an expert on whatever it is, in your social circle.

So it is with sheer terror and disbelief that I’ve been observing the presidential race in the US.

Personalities and suspected personality disorders aside, what I can’t get over is the fact that two of the three candidates seem to be ignorant and rather than be embarrassed, they seem to be proud of it. This is like insisting you be given a job you don’t have the academic qualifications for or capacity to learn the required skills, while you tell your prospective boss you don’t intend to rectify either of these shortcomings. This is raison d’?tre for my disbelief.

Information is everywhere for the taking. Free of charge and available on demand, there is no reason to not know anymore. Long ago the hallowed halls of learning were mysterious and exclusive and not to mention expensive. Innovations like the printing press and free universal education, and today’s mind-blowing internet built one on the other till today we take things like literacy and freely accessible information for granted. As a woman of colour I never take the fact that I can get an education without fear for granted. It is a privilege many sacrificed a lot for me to have and currently many others don’t have.

Today my interests are on emerging markets, social entrepreneurship, innovation, culture and the balance of power in Asia. Yesterday it was an obsession with creating artisanal breads and pastries from scratch.

In the future it could be comparative religion, who knows. When I was younger it was fashion, skin care and makeup. I feel information is so freely available someone has to make a conscious decision to reject it and remain ignorant. Inexcusable.

How much more unforgivable is ignorance in people holding positions of authority? Their decisions impact on the lives of those under their influence. Are you ok having decisions made about your future made by someone who’s attitude is “I don’t know and I don’t care”? When I worked abroad some years ago I was taught if someone asks a question you don’t know the answer to, never, ever say you don’t know.

I was instructed to say; ‘I will go find that information and get back to you’ and I had to do it. I worked with government officials and staff of NGOs. How scary is it if it someone with access to nuclear weapons and a massive military force doesn’t even have the basic knowledge to make an informed decision? I’m not endorsing one presidential candidate over another and I don’t even have the right to vote in the US election. My point is knowledge is important for everyone and the more influential you are the better informed you should be.

Even as a young child I wanted to be wise. I craved knowledge and wisdom that would help me make good judgments. Though I didn’t always have the experience and have made some bad decisions in my life I still chase wisdom. It is a question I have posed to a number of different people over the course of my life. One response I will never forget was a minister who advised me to read the book of Proverbs. I took his advice and the part that stuck with me was Solomon advising his son: “ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” I took those words to heart and have pursued wisdom my whole life.

Don’t get me wrong: wisdom and knowledge are not only found in the pages of a book. There are lots of different ways to learn and to gather information: you can learn by watching someone else (modelling), or you can learn by listening (auditory) or even by doing it yourself (experiential). So don’t think I am limited to the written word, I am like a knowledge vacuum wherever I can get it I am all over it absorbing as much as I can.

Hopefully I am passing this on to my son as well.

As young as he is sometimes he can really surprise me. I expose him to a lot of science and we do simple experiments at home. He loves to watch science videos on line as well. The other day he said to me “ Mummy I can’t eat this, a fly sat on it and now there are microbes on it.” Microbes? I asked.

What is a microbe? to which he replied “A microbe is a microorganism that can only be seen through a microscope”, before happily pointing out to me that he had ninja turtles all over his new pyjamas.

Never underestimate children’s ability to absorb information. What is going to come out is what is going in, if you are paying a child a dollar to wine and laugh when they do, chances are you aren’t raising a future national scholarship winner. My cousin despite living in a much maligned community and being a single parent, ensured her children had the resources and invested the time into their education. Both of her children excel in both academics and sport and are well mannered and straight shooting boys and I couldn’t be prouder of them if they were my own.

Maybe if some of the American presidential candidates had parents that took the time to develop wisdom in their children, they would be less ignorant and the 2016 election would seem less like a horrifying farce.

So pick up a book, turn on the tv, log on to the internet, spend some time with an elderly person, go for a hike, take a class in something that interests you, learn a new skill, try something new, learn a new language, take a trip, just do something, anything different. Shake up your brain cells and create some new neural connections, your brain will thank you for it. At the very least you won’t look like a complete fool if you’re ever in a public forum.