Pencil & Sharpener Set
I started reading “Tuesday’s with Morrie” by Mitch Albom – I’m only half way through the book but I’m telling you it’s a must read, if you haven’t done so already. It’s one of those life changing books … Or let’s just call it a “life searching” book, and I owe thanks to my beloved Mai for pointing it out. The book is not the subject of my thoughts today, however, it had something to do with how the thought came about … I was having a morning coffee and croissant at Paul’s while reading the book this morning, then I realized I had forgotten my pencil … i never read without one (i love leaving side notes and thoughts as the words i read unearth my creativity or insanity or both)! So i stepped into Virgin hoping to find a pencil, I was almost certain I won’t be buying a normal pencil, since they’re not your typical stationary store … but little did i know that the pencil i was about to buy would trigger today’s thought … The More I Learn, the less I Lie!
What the hell does that mean? Well, the pencil represents learning (and knowledge), the more I use it, the more I’d need to sharpen it, and logically, the shorter the pencil (the nose) becomes, making you, a more honest person.
I live in a culture that is very proud; but that pride has been our demise! If you were to ask anyone about anything, they would never tell you they don’t know … It’s much easier to them to make up an answer than admit they don’t have one! My blame here is on their lack of willingness to learn (and hence know) … Even after presented with a question they had to make up an answer for, they feel no urge to actually find out the real answer to that question!
Why is that I wonder? Is it because lying is easier than learning? I don’t think that’s necessarily true … If your creative enough to lie, than you’re certainly capable of learning! It’s just better use of your resources.
What do you think? Is lying related to learning (or knowledge)? Is there some kind of correlation?
I guess lying relates a lot to insecurity,,,,those who lie have a lot of insecurities that makes them lie like for example the above mentioned example about knowledge, people lie because they’re afraid to say they don’t know and they’re afraid to be judged as ignorants….in this case knowledge boosts the confidence and makes them less afraid only because they know they won’t be judged as ignorants…..fears makes people lie i guess and knowledge make people more confident and less afraid so they lie less
…sometimes we fear what we don’t know but the real shame is not trying to make the effort to knowledge……just a thought…..can’t thank you enough for this blog and the stimulation it carries
Yes, insecurities about being judged are what causes us to lie in the first place … but even the great Socrates’s last words were “scio me nihil scire or scio me nescire”, which translates form latin to “I know one thing, that I know nothing”. So there is no shame in not knowing, the only shame is in lying about it … I totally agree with you, the shame magnifies when we realize we don’t know (an lie about or not), and we make little effort to actually “know” or in other words, learn!