For Those Whose Interests Are Scattered | Learning 'How to Reduce Information' from Mathematician Kiyoshi Oka
My mind is in a tangle.
あれもやらなきゃ。
あれも知っておいた方がいい。
こっちも勉強しよう。There are too many choices.
I can't choose anymore.
Kiyoshi Oka was a
genius mathematician who shook the world by solving the most difficult problems in the 'theory of functions of several complex variables,' which was considered the most difficult to elucidate in the 20th-century mathematical world. However, his uniqueness lies in the fact that he concluded the foundation of mathematics is not cold logic, but human-like 'emotion' (jocho). Beyond being a mere researcher, he continues to have a great influence even today as a thinker who kept preaching the 'essence of human intelligence' that modern people are losing.
1. Introduction: Reducing Information and Deciding the 'Direction of View' of the Heart
Being truly intelligent does not mean knowing a lot, but first being able to quietly decide the 'direction of view.'
YouTube, Instagram, news, TV—the sources of information are infinite.
Information is constantly entering my head.
Advertisements on the train.
Just walking outside, my head continues to take in input.
Yet, I mindlessly collect information from the internet, books, and so on, thinking I need to know more.
When there are too many choices, modern people cannot choose anything.
Taki-boyo (losing a sheep at a fork in the road): When a student gets caught up in trivial details, they lose sight of the essence. Also, when the path of learning branches out too much, it becomes difficult to seek the truth. A metaphor for having too many policies and being confused about which one to take. The lament of the lost sheep.
It is truly a state like Taki-boyo.
2. First Lesson: Choosing the 'Direction of the Window (Question)' Over the Amount of Information
Many people think that if they collect information, they will get closer to the answer, but in reality, it only increases the number of choices. What is important is to first establish your own 'problem (question).'
Metaphor of the window: If the heart is a window, if the direction of the window is not decided, the scenery will just flow in messily. Once the direction (question) is decided, the necessary information will shine, and the unnecessary will not be reflected.
What do I want to clarify now?
I often act before thinking about what I want to solve.
3. Second Lesson: Sifting Information Through 'Emotion'
The truly important things follow the order of being received by the heart first, and then understood by the head later.
What is emotion?: It is not just feelings or likes and dislikes, but a deeper and quieter sense of 'nostalgia' or 'familiarity'.
Things you remember without trying are the important things connected to your heart. You don't have to try to absorb everything; it's okay to let natural forgetting take its course.
4. The Fourth Teaching: Reduce the Number of Decisions
As information increases, the number of 'forks in the road' grows, and the mind becomes exhausted from repeating decisions many times a day.
The Metaphor of Music: Just as music becomes a melody through silence (rests), thinking also requires 'time to not decide'.
Separate what you need to decide today from what doesn't need to be decided yet.
Narrow your scope, such as by saying, 'This month, I will only decide how to use my time.'
This creates the breathing room to look deeply at a single question.
For tomorrow,
'One thing to definitely decide,' 'three things to put on hold,' and 'one question to keep thinking about'
is effective to write down on paper.
5. The Fifth Teaching: Make Forgetting Your Ally
Truly intelligent people are able to forget well. This means letting go of trivial information and leaving only the 'impressions' etched into their emotions.
The Metaphor of a Field: If you think of your heart as a field, if you sow too many seeds (information), they will not grow.
If you don't sow seeds, nothing will bloom.
However, if you sow too many, they will compete for nutrients and ultimately not grow well.
It is also good to think about what kind of seeds (important things) to sow before taking action.
Summary
There are too many choices.
あれも、これも勉強しなきゃ
知っておかなきゃ
やっておいた方がいいIn the end, nothing gets done.
At times like that,the words of Kiyoshi Okamight be good to reflect on to consider the direction you are heading.
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