In an Age of Learning, Why Has the Space for Thought Diminished? — In Places Where Attitudes Take Precedence Over Understanding

Opportunities to learn have certainly increased compared to the past.

If you want to know something,
many things are within immediate reach.

And yet,
I feel that there are fewer places to stand
between opinions than there used to be.

I still cannot explain the reason for this
very well.

Researching has become easy.
Words and positions are always offered
in an organized form.

By accepting them,
we have become able to reach a place of understanding
faster than before.

However,
the shorter the time it takes to reach that place,
the more the space to keep thinking
may be gradually whittled away.

Attitude taking precedence over understanding

Materials for understanding are
always placed within reach.

There are explanations,
summaries,
and even narratives prepared for every position.

That is why we can choose where to stand
without having to dive deep.

Agree or disagree.
Right or wrong.

Before we continue to think,
only our attitudes are being formed.

I believe this is surely not because someone is lazy,
but because there is an environment
where doing so happens naturally.

What is happening in the world of investment

When looking at the market,
I sometimes encounter similar scenes.

Prices move first,
and the reasons are arranged afterward.

News is lined up,
experts' words are quoted,
and eventually it is understood as
an event that was supposed to happen.

However,
I sometimes stop and wonder
if that was really the case.

Are we not simply standing in a place of understanding
after we have moved,
rather than moving because we understood?

Of course, I am no exception.

Because I don't want to be left behind by the speed,
because I want to stand on the side of those who understand,
I sometimes choose words that make me feel secure.

Because it is much easier
to pretend to understand
than to keep on thinking.

Then what is learning?

Then, what is learning, really?

Is it about becoming someone who knows many things?
Is it about being able to reach the correct answer quickly?

However, if
that just becomes preparation for choosing a side,
I feel a little sad.

In truth,
wasn't learning supposed to be about taking the time not to decide immediately,
and having the courage to remain in a state of not knowing?

Of course,
there are times when it is necessary to decide on a position quickly.

I also know that there are people who are saved
by words that assert things strongly.

Even so, sometimes,
I think it might be okay
to have time to stand still without knowing.

Rather than having an answer right away,
to think for just a little bit longer.

I feel that there is a view that can only be seen
within that clumsiness.

That is why I,
rather than pretending to understand,
want to be on the side that keeps on thinking for just a little longer.

Even if I cannot put it into words well,
at the very least, I want to ensure that I do not let go of
the time for that.

Information should have no concept of new or old.
Every fragment, if you change your perspective,
leads to a completely different place.

Therefore, right now,
how I observe that information,
and what I try to predict from it,
I would like to call the understanding of that process my definition of 'learning' for now.
Even though it will surely change many times from here on out.