Human beings like to maintain a nice overview over things. Genetically that just makes us feel good. Yet sometimes when our inborn curiosity wanders just a little too close to the unknown, the nice mental overview turns into a blur of concepts and relations we no longer cannot map together. Our nice mental overview is replaced with unpleasant confusion.
We’re genetically programmed to feel unease when this feeling arises. I suspect many of us in situations like these, too often obey our native “stupid” mental reflexes that blindly steer our mind to the nearest safe harbor. Because of our intense confusion-phobia the value of understanding the actual cause of the confusion is totally neglected in the process.
Instead, what we should do, is take a deep breath and take advantage of the situation by embracing the confusion. Whenever confusion kicks in, see it as a free gift holding valuable information on where to improve.
To the determined learner, great confusing thus often leeds to great enlightenment.
