Why?

Memorizing new materials and taking exams always come easily to me.  Since, traditionally, Asian education systems leaned heavily on rote learning, I had little problem earning good grades at school.  However, the “aha” moment always struck me weeks or months after I first learned something—perhaps because I was younger than most of my classmates.  It didn’t take me long to realize that there was a huge difference between knowing something and understanding something.  I also figured out that, if I understood the reason behind a certain thing, I could easily apply it to similar things.  So, I became a perpetual “terrible two,” always asking “WHY?”

Curiosity opened up endless possibilities for me.  It turned the world into a playground of knowledge.  It guided me through years of academic studies.  It gave me the freedom to reproduce composer’s ideas on solid ground.

On a few occasions, my inquisitive approach had become obstructive.  Mom suggested for dad to teach me German when I was in high school.  We sat down with the textbook.  Dad showed me the four cases:  nominative, accusative, dative and genitive.  He showed me how the articles and pronouns would change based on genders, cases and numbers.  Instead of accepting the rules, I asked him; “Why?”  This went on for the entire lesson.  Dad thought I was the most impossible student that he had ever had.  I never had another session with him.

As a participant of a summer festival, I had the opportunity to work with a prominent artist.  Every time he instructed me to try certain things, I would ask ‘Why?”  He was FURIOUS with me for asking stupid questions.  However, he did provide extended answers to all my stupid questions.  Many things that I learned that summer had turned into useful tools for me.  Did he think I was challenging his authority?  Perhaps.  What I gained from the experience far outweighed the momentary humiliation.

For as long as my mind is clear, I will continue asking: “Why?”