Everyone will hate me, but...

I feel the need to bring up a teacher I had, Mr. Shindel. He often tried to make us thing, and often we found him very annoying (which I think he wanted), but sometimes (actually more than I like to admit) he actually did make me think critically about issues, practical and philosophical. Our first day of class, when everyone found him incredibly intimidating (which he also wanted even though he is actually not intimidating), he made us fill out an information sheet. On it was the question:

How do you know what you think you know?

I stumbled through an answer, trying to figure out what he wanted for the answer to that question, the goody-goody side of me warring with the obnoxious side...I don't remember what I wrote, but I'm sure it was kind of stupid. Now, reflecting back on that question, I have to remind myself that I don't actually "know" very much. What does it even mean to "know" something? I can't really "know" anything that I've learned from someone else, only what I've learned from experience. But what can I do with that knowledge? Maybe that's why it's so important to travel, to do everything you can even if you are scared, because truly, there is only one way to find out what happens. Try it.

Also, in Shindel's defense, that question actually is something asked in philosophy as far as I can tell. In Sophie's World, they talk about Aristotle. One of the things he said (I'm almost positive it was him) was that an important first step was to admit he knows nothing. You have to recognize that you are utterly ignorant in order to get anywhere in philosophy...and to learn in life.