Knowledge isn't just acquired—it's courted, wrestled with, and ultimately transformed.
I'm not sure where I came across this phrase but it has been something that has stuck with me ever since.
I think it's an interesting argument to say we are an active participant in a complex dialogue with understanding life whenever we seek knowledge.
Put differently, the journey or experience of knowledge is less about collecting facts, that's only a superficial aspect of it.
It's the process of engaging in a profound conversation with existence itself that's the most important.
I think also what distinguishes human learning is our inherent ability to turn raw experience and intellectual input into something else(not just wisdom) that reshapes our very consciousness.
Experience based reflection is basically when you experience something profound that triggers a reflection mode on your consciousness.
Examples may include the death of a loved one(lowest of lows) or unexpected success(highest of highs).
For the most part, it's usually done through silence, as in sitting quietly or walking. This creates the right atmosphere for the needed reflection to happen.
Some may later write or speak about it, to let it out into the world, so to speak.
An After Effect
Experientially, what's characteristic of this type of reflection is it's a deep, almost meditative state of processing information gained from the experience.
Provided it's emotionally authentic, you hardly come out of this mode without becoming a little different person.
In a way, it's like an after effect of a paradigm shift cementing the internal transformation, just as you would properly digest a meal.
Knowledge based reflection can be categorize as a subset of experience based reflection.
The logic is that all life is based on experiencing different kinds of situations, either actively or passively or somewhere in between the two.
I think seeking knowledge can mostly be done actively. If you don't want it, you wouldn't get it. But there's also this interesting twist that the more you want something, the less you tend to have of it.
My intuition tells me the trick is to first reach near the limit of this wanting, then let go of it. Just as you would draw an arrow before releasing it. The former creates the tension necessary for the latter to take shape and materialize.
Probing Complex Ideas
Unlike experience based reflection, knowledge based reflection is less emotionally driven and more intellectually guided. Which poses a challenge with regards to our natural learning processes.
If the goal is creating a systematic approach to understanding, then I make it a point to specifically deconstruct complex ideas into their fundamental components.
My understanding of creativity changed quite a lot when I systematically broke down the creative process.
Arguably, creativity doesn't seem like a complex idea but viewing it just as a mysterious, uncontrollable force is definitely not the best way to go about it.
Systematically, the creative process can be segmented into four phases.
- Deliberately cultivate environments and mindsets conducive to creative thinking.
- Deliberate non-action—allowing ideas to simmer subconsciously.
- A detached way to create room for seemingly random connections to emerge from structured cognitive exploration.
- Critically examining and refining initial creative impulses.
Interestingly, it's sort of similar to the metaphor above of drawing an arrow and then releasing it. The proverbial two-part rhythm of action and inaction that can be seen in almost every human endeavour.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.