If Questions Are More Important Than Answers, Which Questions Are You Willing to Risk Asking So You Remain Skeptical and Open?
Created in Canva by Nancy Blackman
As soon as I began reading this book, my mind traveled back in time to elementary school where I excelled in some subjects and struggled miserably in others. Then, as I made my way through middle school, I still excelled in the same subjects and struggled with others, mainly the math and science classes.
In preparation for a math exam, my father sat down with me and broke down my homework in an understandable way. It changed everything. It was most definitely a transformative and aha moment. Unfortunately, what became easier for me didn’t suit the teacher because though I came up with the correct answer, I didn’t use the formula she was teaching exactly the way she wanted. I would categorize that as “troublesome knowledge” because I was assimilating and integrating but not the way the teacher wanted.[1]
A little background to the story: my father worked for the State Department, so my upbringing consisted of living on 3 continents and travelling to a multitude of countries before the age of 14, which was also the age I was when I came to the US to live permanently.
Raised in a State Department culture (i.e., all members of the family MUST look, talk, and act a certain way or else the State Department employee will be called into question), which — ahem — happened once because I, the creative, outside-the-box thinker was suddenly clashing with my family and the environment I was in.
Years later, when my family and I moved to the US, just before beginning high school, I found myself barely treading water on all levels. Yes, there were enculturation challenges, which makes me wonder how much of what Meyer and Land refer to as “otherness” was a factor in my educational process.[2] In other words, how much of being the “other” affected my educational process?
I was suddenly met with people who spent more time belittling others—me, in this case. And, as I am still ruminating on Camacho’s principles, this funneled me into a shift. That painful stretch moved me into a space of “learner transformation.”[3] I began to learn about myself through my pain by moving through and towards things that created safety—reading books, looking at art—and therapeutically allowing myself to get in touch with the artist within me. And this process became irreversible.
The example Meyer and Land use is, of course, so appropriate to me as I am mixed race. “Being of mixed race myself I never really paid much mind to it but coming here I’ve had to define where I belong. I always have to address that.’”[4] That is the essence of my existence and educational process throughout my entire United States experience.
When I attended American International Schools outside of the U.S., I was just one of the kids, but being the only mixed-race kid of a handful of other Asians in an American high school changed everything. The landscape, as Dr. Coven mentioned, became very blurry at first. Until I was able to get a better grasp of who I was within the context of my setting, I would continue to tread water.
The question of belonging became and has become the one thing that drives the who, what, where, when, and how. As I have gotten older, the only question that burdens me is whether some of this is also how I perceive the world as an artist. Let’s face it. If you know any artists, they tend not to think the same as mainstream society, yet, without artists, the world would not be nearly as beautiful. There would not be beautiful music and paintings on the ceilings of cathedrals, much less ways for those individuals to express themselves and “be” who God created them to be.
As someone recently said to me, “Artists are the weirdos of the world.” We don’t fit neatly into society’s construct, and as I connect this with my research of creating a safe, inclusive community for writers and artists, I wonder what that means and how I need to show up as a leader.
What questions do I need to continue to ask so that I, as Coven mentions, remain skeptical AND open?
I am reminded of the rubik’s cube that forces a person to turn it around, constantly moving one part so that it touches another. And, if I may, the African Ubuntu philosophy of “I am because we are” seems appropriate because we can’t see the bigger picture until we can understand that we — you and I — are because of each other.
So, when I think of building a safe, inclusive community for artists and writers who are very often marginalized by society, what deep and meaningful questions do I need to keep asking so I don’t become so narrow-minded and lose sight of the bigger picture?
How about you? What questions do you need to keep asking to keep your focus on the bigger picture? What questions would help you (and others) remain skeptical and open in this doctorate journey?
I will say that I have one question for Dr. Coven. At one point in the video, he says something about always remaining curious.[5] That has never been my problem. I am curious to a fault. My question is, at what point does curiosity need to end, and answers need to suffice for what they are?
Does anyone else have that burning question?
[1] Meyer, Jan H.F., and Ray Land, eds., Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge (London: Routledge, 2006), 137.
[2] Ibid., 134-135.
[3] Ibid., 135
[4] Ibid., 136.
[5] Dr. Robert Coven, “Breaking Through: Threshold Concepts as a Key to Understanding,” November 28, 2018, produced by TEDx Talks, video, 19:11, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCPYSKSFky4.
About the Author
Nancy Blackman
18 responses to “If Questions Are More Important Than Answers, Which Questions Are You Willing to Risk Asking So You Remain Skeptical and Open?”
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Hi Nancy, I love your post, and artwork! Thanks for sharing the beauty with us.
I am pondering your question in light of my dialogue with God. There are so many things I don’t understand, yet remain curious about. Why do some babies die in infancy? Why do some children suffer extreme trauma, and others enter adulthood relatively unscathed.
To these, my curiosity could go on indefinitely, but at the end of the day, I have take the answers that I do have (that God is good but this world is broken) and hold them in tension. Despite my lack of understanding, I have to take the truth that I know, and be ok with ambiguity on this side of eternity.
Thanks Christy 🙂
What I interpreted from your response is that you are continuing to walk in faith, which can be challenging when asking the big questions you have!
May you always have your heart and soul open to ambiquity while holding your faith in a good and just God even if it doesn’t always seem that way. May you always have that to hold on to. 💜
Nancy,
Thanks for your post. I have come to really value curiosity and have tried to pose more questions than answers. I challenged myself one day to only ask questions, rather than provide answers to the staff I was leading. It was a tough assignment. I failed often. LOL. It seems I wanted to provide wisdom, direction, etc.
I often ask the same question that you pose at the end of your blog.
Do curiosity and being settled on an answer have to be mutually exclusive? Can we be reasonably settled and still remain openly curious?
Graham,
I was over here applauding you for taking on such a challenge! And, of course, you had momentary challenges, but you tried … and I imagine you learned more about yourself and God in the process, right?
And to the unanswered questions, may we both continue to hold our hearts open to a God that allows for both / and.
Thanks Graham! Keep being curious 😁
Thanks Nancy! I appreciate you sharing about your own experience in ‘otherness’ and how it has shaped your identity and how those painful experiences have birthed a beautiful calling to create a safe community for marginalized people.
To your question about curiosity I think it depends on the answers that you get and the level of trust you have in the person or entity given you answers. I think it is skepticism and truth seeking that bring us through threshold concepts and empower us as learners and explorers of a complex world. I want to be a reflective practitioner, someone who is thinking deeply about the things I am doing and why I am doing them the way I am. I guess, that if my reflectiveness prevents me from actually practicing something, then perhaps my curiosity and introspection has gone too far perhaps.
Wow, Ryan. There is alot for me to chew on in your response, which I appreciate having to do 😁.
You also taught me new terminology—reflective practitioner.
And, isn’t that a good practice to have? Isn’t that what we’re learning — to always ask the questions and be ok with that?
Thanks so much, Ryan! I hope you always approach what you are doing in a way that allows you to be truly you.
Nancy, thank you for sharing so much of yourself in your post. You are such a gifted artist with your words and visual art. The struggles of your life seem to have led you to a place of beauty rather than hate.
I wonder if everyone who is really honest, at some level feels the otherness you talk about. I wonder if the mean spirited students in schools, the bullies, the cliques in the workplaces and all the hatred in our world stems from people afraid to BE the other.
What would life be like if everyone could see beauty in our otherness?
Diane,
Well said. I think that’s why I’ve connected to closely with the Ubuntu philosophy of “I am because you are.” We are in the world together and I am because you are.
Thanks!
Hi Nancy,
Wow! Your personal journey, particularly the transformative and challenging moments captured my interest. As I was reading your post, I am thinking, this is well-articulated and provides a rich context for understanding your perspective. The connection between Meyer and Land’s concepts, your experiences as a mixed-race individual, and your role as an artist is profound. Thank you for sharing your story.
How did being perceived as the “other” impact your leadership initiatives?
Oof! Good question, sister!
The best way for me to answer your question is that through the pain, I knew that I was not the only one. And, though this particular pain centers around race and gender (because there is other trauma from my childhood not mentioned here) I wanted to be available, as a leader, to women, especially women of color, but that’s expanded to both genders. I have connected with younger men of color (especially Asian Americans) who struggle with similar issues of belonging and being known and seen.
And, as you might know, being Asian means you walk a somewhat fine line with perfectionism and saving face. It exhausts me to just write that — LOL. So, for me to be an effective leader, I lean a little more into my non-Asian side and have had to let go of perfectionism and allow things to be just as they are. It also means I am learning to be a bit more vulnerable, to ask for help, and to know that it is ok.
I have always navigated multicultural settings easier than mono-cultural maybe because of my TCK (Third Culture Kid) experience, but I also find that being mixed race and a TCK are my superpowers — as well as being extremely introverted. It’s just knowing when to let those superpowers come out 😜.
So, my being viewed as “other” is my way of showing up and being holistically me, honoring a God who created me to be the way I am.
Thanks Shela!
Hi Nancy, thanks for your open and honest reflections. Your journey through diverse educational/geographical landscapes and the impact of “otherness” is compelling and reflective. The journey of belonging, especially as a mixed-race individual and an artist, adds huge depth to your narrative.
Your thoughts on creating an inclusive community prompt lots of thought. What strategies do you think we can employ to avoid becoming narrow-minded and incorporate the benefits of the Ubuntu philosophy of interconnectedness?
Thanks for your kind words, Glynn.
You reminded me of a post I wrote awhile back (because I started this journey in 2019) with Jason.
https://blogs.georgefox.edu/dlgp/is-it-possible-to-talk-about-people-you-havent-met/.
The short answer is that if you and I approach everyone—the neighbor that Jesus speaks of—knowing they were created with the same amount of Love and Care as you and I were, then what closes the gap? I think the Ubuntu philosophy does just that — I am because you are.
To answer your question succinctly, however.
1) don’t be afraid to say hi and engage in a conversation, especially if they seem so vastly different than yourself.
2) imagine how much you might learn from a short conversation with someone who seems so different than you?
That reminds me of how I approach servers in restaurants who have names that make me want to ask, “where are you from?” Instead, I ask, “does your name have meaning?” I have learned that often with families of different cultures, they have been given names to denote a path they might take or a feeling their mother felt or … and the stories I have heard have been soooo beautiful! And the same cane be true of Anglo families.
So, maybe the question for you is: what makes you feel connected to another human? What creates fear within you when you see another human? What do you think you need to transition from fear to connection?
Thanks Glynn 😁
Oh I love your question to the servers. “Does your name have a meaning?” opens so many doors for conversation. Thank you for your response, Nancy
Nancy, I really like the questions you pose in your blog. This question particularly intrigued me: “What point does curiosity need to end, and answers need to suffice for what they are?”
I see curiosity as something that should be infinite until we reach eternity. Answers can (and in my opinion, should) increase our curiosity and send us on a different trajectory of understanding away from the answer and on to a new search for new answers.
Kari,
Wow! Well said!
Except … maybe I didn’t explain myself very well. I am curious to the point of destruction (at times). For instance, I’ll poke at the cylindrical dome wondering why it’s shaped that way … and my poking at it creates a dent that can’t be repaired 😬.
I agree … curiosity is one of the gifts that God gave me, and I am grateful for the gift. How do I manage the gift? Maybe that was the better question.
Thanks Kari!
Hi Nancy! I am growing increasingly jealous of the artwork additions to your post! (Laughing) Seriously speaking I can resonate with your struggle to embrace cultural lines. Looking at your quest for an inclusive community speaks to one of my key takeaways in our readings this week. As you speak of the curiosity and an expiration date, I do not have that answer but I do feel is that curiosity is sometimes the pathway to understanding differently and that should happen in our lives more as we grow and mature in this thing called life.
LOL, Daren … Creating art is my happy place. Thanks for the confirmation that you enjoy the art. 😁
I love how you drilled right into the concept of curiosity as the gateway for understanding. That actually gave me such freedom with my sense of continual curiosity.
May we always remain curious to the things that God wants us to be curious about and for. ✌🏽
Nancy, thank you for yet another wonderful read! You ask so many powerful questions. Heck, the title in and of itself is a mic drop 😉
I really appreciate how you tied this back into the work you are doing to create a safe, inclusive community for artists and writers who are very often marginalized by society so that they too can keep asking the questions. I can see how much of your journey has laid the foundation for your NPO and am LOVING it, especially since I can relate on many levels.
In one of the comments, you mentioned how you now see being a TCK, mixed-race, and introverted as your superpowers. I agree that there is such a power in our “otherness.” I often say that never fully fitting in anywhere gave me the ability to fit in anywhere because my sense of home and safety were built in environments where I was never the norm or fully accepted.
As someone who is also a part of the population I aim to serve in my NPO, I know the extra layer of challenge that brings. At the same time, there are also gifts. You asked “what deep and meaningful questions do I need to keep asking so I don’t become so narrow-minded and lose sight of the bigger picture?” I think the answer comes right back to YOU as your ideal audience — what would you want/need in a space for it to feel truly safe and inclusive AND how can you never stop being curious // asking those around you these same questions…
I will add that I too have wondered at what point answers need to suffice for what they are… or if they ever truly can. The response God has given me thus far always points to something along the lines of our curiosity should never stop but trust, acceptance and surrender are key, alongside the ability to hold multiple truths at once.
It’s not always the easiest response to sit with but I do think that in life we are called to ” live the questions” which is an ongoing process, where the “answers” we get aren’t stagnant clear things but they too are ever unfolding, drawing us into deeper levels of knowing and understanding, alongside acceptance that there will always be things we do not know and understand.
Thanks again for the reminder to remain skeptical and open in this doctorate journey. I feel as though this week has certainly opened up another level of curiosity in me, helping me explore some of my ” stuckness” with a new lens