Greatest lesson learned from someone else? There are a lot to choose from but from the past readings and thoughts I’ve had these past few weeks, there is one that is now stuck in my head.
Since I was young, I’ve been a very academic person. The need to understand all the concepts and problems thrown in front of me is in my genes – I would think back then. As I get older, I become more and more stressed as everything around me gets so complicated and difficult. I would think so hard I feel my head is going to explode or I would get to the point that I feel like giving up. In those moments, my solution is to think even more harder. I believe that my response is because of the expectations of others and that creates pressure.
When I was in my first year high school (9th grade), my tutor gave me an advice in studying. Back then, I believe that his advice is ridiculous and it didn’t make any sense until I reached grade 12 here in Canada. He told me a simple statement: “Not everything is meant to be understood”. Of course I was being stubborn and I kept my old habits. Then when I came upon an essay that debates about the origin of the world: evolution or genesis. I completely don’t understand anything! Genesis is all about being religious and having faith; Evolution is a theory with evidences but still not proven to be true. If I think about it too much, the thoughts just go on and on like an eternal loop. For instance, if God created us, who created Him? or what started the evolution? what came first, chicken or egg? Questions don’t seem to stop because there’s is no right answer. This is when I realized the real meaning of that statement. Sometimes I have to believe in something and stop trying to understand it; let it go and move on.
P.S. I still think that trying to understand things is a good thing especially when learning new stuff . It’s in human nature to be curious but there are certain boundaries in where we just have to believe.