The More I Don't Know

There's a popular quote floating among upper level science professors. I heard it at the beginning of every class I took this semester. 

"The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know."

I heard this at the beginning of the semester and like 90% of the class I laughed for a good ten seconds and nodded my head for another 30. Simply because that quote resonates so well with me. The further I go along in my studies the more I have seen that the answers to questions are "we don't know". It's not that scientists as a whole have a lower IQ level or a lesser ability to display higher thinking; the answer comes from the fact that we have accepted just how little information we have about the world around us. 

I also took a moment and thought why I was only hearing this NOW? Why at our junior/senior years are we just hearing "you don't really know as much as you think you do"? Did our professors want to knock us down before our job search began? Did they want to intimidate us about the material of the class? The answer to both questions is no. They had other ways of intimidation and an arsenal of Rate My Professor reviews to back them up. And the job search simply isn't a concern for them. Don't get me wrong, professors (in general) want their students to succeed and go on to bigger and better things, but on the first day of class... they really don't care yet. 

Then I remembered what it was like to be a freshman/sophomore in college. I would have laughed at their opening statements. Not because I thought it was true, but because I didn't care. Freshman year I was looking to get good grades and make it thru. Sophomore year, I had academic success figured out and was looking to create some semblance of a social life. I wasn't looking to learn, I was looking to get by. 

Fast forward a couple of years and I am now looking to learn as much as possible. I am reading scientific papers. (Still not my favorite literature...AT ALL) I am in the lab every day to look after an experiment that excites me. Every day I learn. And every day I realize how much I don't know. Which, oddly enough, alleviates pressure. Some day I might be the person to look to for information but today is not that day and tomorrow isn't looking too good either. If/when I do become that person I hope I remember that not knowing everything helps you to be a better learner. I'd rather be a good learner than a know-it-all any day of the week.

Go learn something.

Live Today.

Something Witty

With all the snow days, getting into a rhythm for school has felt impossible. Add onto that professors that want to cram in more material than our brains can handle. Add testing onto that. Then as a quick and final bit of icing, add on research projects and papers. There's only one problem with all of this. I want a fulfilled life outside of school. So to keep going with the list I have Miss Cobb County events, Miss Georgia paperwork due, a boyfriend, a family, and friends. I won't even list all of these things again because they're starting to make me bald. 

I don't have a problem with a jam-packed schedule. In fact, that's how I grew up. Going from one thing to another to the next made me develop a balancing ability. However, I take things seriously. All things. Seriously. There are times when I can let go and lay low for a while. (Tonight is one of those times.) But usually my life is just one crazily scheduled day after the next. I promise if I showed you my calendar, you'd start to sweat. Taking everything seriously leads to a cycle of determination, followed by sadness, followed by exhaustion, tears, runny nose, headaches, etc. I'm sure you get the picture. 

Now, I'm tired of the cycle.

How does one escape and turn off the side of your brain that causes said cycle?

Well, I'm still figuring that out. 

I never thought that I'd truly enjoy cooking dinner. I never thought I'd enjoy the TV series Dr. Who (Eccleston is my favorite, then again I'm only on season 2.) I also never thought that I would ever learn the right way to put down a task and rest. I've been able to put things off, but not necessarily delay for an hour or two and then pick right back up.

While those are great, the key to breaking the cycle is something witty. Something that makes you laugh so hard that you forget about what you were going to say. Something that gives you uncontrollable giggles and fits of laughter. Mine varies from day to day but usually it's some TV show or a Buzzfeed article. However, I've recently found that Calvin & Hobbes is a great way of escape. No technology needed. Just me and a comic book. 

So go find something that makes you laugh.

Live Today.