Understanding

In the library, I picked up a brightly-coloured book from the wooden shelf and scanned through the first few paragraphs to decide whether it was suitable for my reading. Gosh, I have no idea what the author is trying to say. I checked out the book all the same, having read Hugh Laurie's commentary printed on its soft and beckoning cover. Fortunately, the free Cambridge online dictionary managed to shed some light on most of the puzzling terms and old-fashioned high-value words.

That was but one of the many day in day out experiences when I realise that I cannot live without understanding. The ability to understand a subject or matter, to me, is one of the most important things in my life. Until I understand the concept that has been delivered by my teacher, I would not stop asking him questions. This habit, which I picked up from one of my dearest secondary school friends, has helped me in my learning and to better analyse and even challenge the matter that has been presented.

Moreover, in learning, I have experienced first-hand that understanding a subject would undoubtedly be more effective than memorising the facts by heart. Seeking to understand a subject would not only edify and train the mind, but also, leave a deeper impression even after completing the course. Besides, having understood the subject would also help with problem-solving as the chain of events leading up to the problem can be linked up more quickly and facts, which can provide inspirations to plausible solutions, can be identified more easily. 

I believe that in life, understanding plays a signifcant role. In maintaining the relationship among family members, coming to an agreement about where to have dinner with a best friend and even resolving a conflict with a unrelenting colleague, just to name a few, would require a certain level of understanding of the situation as well as the opposite party. With good understanding, communication can be established and hence, give rise to...