Foggy Clarity

Foggy Clarity

Leo Buscaglia once said, “Change is the end result of all true learning.” In order to learn, there must be some type of a reaction within our mind that alters or builds upon what we previously knew. Before learning a new topic or task, we may feel frightened; while learning it, we may feel challenged; but once we have learned, we will find clarity. This chain of emotion closely resembles the challenges accompanied with driving to work on a foggy morning. In order for clarity to be reached, the fog must lift so we may see what path lies ahead, just as we must work through the challenges that come with with learning new information before we have complete understanding.

Waking up to a foggy morning, it can be intimidating to leave the comfort of the home. We tend to be a precautionary species, not wanting to risk a negative result of our choices. Even though we may have driven the same route before, the path may look distorted and unknown in the midst of the fog. For some, this outlook resembles that of deciding to learn something new. It may be intimidating and uncomfortable to leave the comfort of what we already know. Additionally, learning is difficult to begin because it means we take a risk of failure. Even though we have been learning all our lives, when learning something new, the path to understanding is winding, bumpy, and foggy. Nonetheless, the risk must be taken and we must venture out into the fog.

After committing to the journey, the fog designates the speed at which we travel. The thicker the fog, the slower we must drive, and the harder we must work to successfully reach our destination. To help us through, we may turn on our fog lights and find ways to calm our nerves through the tedious drive. After committing to learning something new, we have to assess the level of understanding we retain throughout the process. If we feel confused, we may need to slow down and work harder to understand the new information. To help us gain...