“Oh, I’m still a student,” you may exclaim, “that’s why I keep asking questions.”
Here’s a revolutionary thought. You may already be a master. But you think you are a student because you have this mental model of the master never asking questions because he already has all the answers.
But given this fast-changing world, a master’s stock answers may already be outdated. There are always new developments that the master never dreamed of ten, five, or even one year ago.
Thus, the true master never stops asking questions. This is not in the sense of quizzing the student, but to fill the gaps of his own knowledge. In fact, in the case of reverse mentoring, the student can be the master and vice versa!
The story is told of a scientist who was lecturing in a university. To his chagrin, a Nobel prize winner, uninvited, entered the classroom and sat at the back row. He suddenly felt insecure. What if this genius were to poke holes in his lecture? What if this veteran were to ask him a question he couldn’t answer?
But to his surprise, the sit-in visitor took out his notebook, listened intently to his lecture, and quietly took notes. The scientist was humbled, because here was this world-class intellect picking up new insights from his class.
The true master is always open to new learning. It is a mark of wisdom, not shame, to admit ignorance and strive for deeper understanding.
In this sense, we are all students. And we can be each other’s masters.
January 31, 2023
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