Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Baby steps to better understanding. 

While conversing with a friend earlier today, this concept came up when my friend explained how they were frustrated with their spouse’s inability to understand things on the same level as they did. 

This launched us into a conversation about how different people can be exposed to the exact same information, but how each may interpret such in a completely different manner.  How each of those individuals, depending on where they lie on their arch to understanding, may or may not be capable of understanding what’s been presented to them. 

I believe that individuals are a byproduct of what they’ve been exposed to.  As such, each and every interaction they have further builds their foundation.  Should bits and pieces of that building process be skipped, the foundation will have fault lines running through it.  But, if a person is allowed to progress through building their foundation at their own pace, then each new added stone of knowledge will be easier for them to process, accept and build upon.

Sharing this vision with my friend, I pointed out that, although they have progressed to a point of being able to fully grasp their current situation, their spouse, not having experienced the same arch of learning, may not be prepared—yet—to grasp the state of affairs on the same deeper level.  This gave my friend pause.  And after they’d thought about it for a minute or two, they realized that they’d had unrealistic expectations for their spouse’s ability to understand things as they did. 

As corny as it may sound, I envision gained knowledge like the building stones to a pyramid.  Each and every stone must be given the attention to detail it needs if it is to serve its higher purpose in the end, which is to strengthen the overall foundation.  For the pyramid, that would involve structural strength.  But for someone gaining knowledge, those stones represent passages of time, none more meaningful or important than the last, yet each integral to that person’s ability to fully process, accept and build upon additional knowledge that ultimately leads to better understanding.