There is the story of a man considered by many as ignorant in his community. When asked any question beyond the local news and experiences, his usual response was; "I don't know". Hence, the community named him, I DONT KNOW. For this reason, he was despised and rejected by many in the community. But what the community failed to notice was that each time he displayed ignorance, he quickly pulled out an exercise book to write down the new ideas or information that he was ignorant about. And in the night, he would study hard to advance his knowledge and skill.
Years after the name - I DONT KNOW - had stuck, a delegation of the World Bank came looking for a man whose response to their call for ideas on the rural urban migration was considered the best in the region. The contributor had been given a job in the Bank. But the dilemma of the delegation was that the contributor did not give his or her name. The king was so excited and pleased that he asked his advisers to bring out the brightest men and women in the community. "Who of you wrote the winning contribution to the World Bank?" Many hands went up, leaving the king and the delegation confused. The head of the delegation brought out the winning contribution and asked the community eggheads, "How did you sign off your contribution?" Responses were as measured as they were varied - Yours sincerely; Yours faithfully; I remain yours; I await your response; Thanks for the opportunity...The head of the delegation then said to the king, "None of these people wrote the contribution. Is there anyone in this community that has this rather unusual sign off: I DONT KNOW?" All eyes were focused on the only man the community knew fit the bill. As the middle-aged man walked from the crowd of onlookers up to the front, the entire community could not believe it. Surprised yet happy, the king asked the man everyone was used to deriding, "Tell me, son; how did you do it?" To which he responded, "I don't know!"
The beginning of learning is; "I don't know". And the next step is; "I am passionate and determined to know". Research has shown that man can become an expert in any field he is ignorant of today if he can conscientiously devote two hours a day for the next 3 years learning it. By Abiodun Fijabi
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