I remember an image of an illustration sent to me by a mentor that showed the impact of starting a PhD program on the brain of the PhD student. The picture showed the brains of people at various academic levels. The picture for the PhD brain humorously showed the brain extend beyond the point of elasticity. A little red dot appropriately named “thinking” located well outside a dotted circle around the extended brain of the PhD student, signified that a PhD student must always think outside the boundaries of conventional thinking. The elasticity of the PhD brain on the other hand, referenced how flexibility with which the PhD student must engage in critical thinking .
As I examined this image, I immediately could relate as I was then, beginning to feel the stress of my brain extend figuratively as I studied books, write ups and journals. I can definitely attest that in my PhD journey, my thinking and my general approach to life has changed, however as George Huber said in his book ” The Necessary Nature Of Future Firms” , “knowledge begets knowledge.” The more knowledge one has and no matter how extensive you think you know, the more your knowledge becomes fodder for more knowledge according to Huber. That is why the great Albert Einstein said, “the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”
This was my gut check reality punch if I can call it that. Sometimes I felt I was swimming in a pool with a never-ending finish line of opinions, ideals and ideas. I thought I knew stuff due to this so-called “brain extension” but I was so wrong to make that assertion. Throughout this noise of knowledge assimilation and flexibility of thinking, it hit me that all knowledge begins and ends in Christ. That realization helped me to wade through this pool, examining content under the guidance and help of Christ, the master of all knowledge.
In the book of Proverbs in the old testament of the Bible, the author admonishes us to trust or put the weight of our quest for knowledge on the Lord, lean on God and not on our own understanding. The reality as mentioned earlier is that we don’t know it all, so lets humble ourselves before the God of all knowledge, surrender what we already know to Him and allow Him to make straight our paths as we continue to seek knowledge for the benefit of humanity.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
DiggingDeeperWithOmokhai 