Just before my oldest daughter was born, my wife and I were taking parenting classes, and during the class they asked each of us, “What are you most looking forward to with the birth of your first child.” As I listened to the other future parents’ answer, I considered my future as a parent. When it was my turn I answered, “I am looking forward to the day when I am holding my daughter’s hand as we walk down the beach, and she asks me, Daddy, why is the sky blue.”
After she was born I realized that it would be some time before she could talk, and therefore it would be a while before she would ask me that question, or any other question for that matter. So… I used my time wisely and rehearsed my answers. I began thinking about how to tell a 2 year old that particulates in the atmosphere scatter the photons in the blue region of the visible spectrum to a greater extent than the longer wavelength red light, and so we see the multiply scattered blue photons as the sky, but the red photons just pass through and hit the earth. Thinking, of course, that I could also tell her that blue jays look blue even though they don’t have any blue pigments in their feathers for a similar reason. As I considered my answer I realized that it was neither the day on the beach nor that specific question that I was looking forward to, but what I was really looking forward to was a lifetime of learning and discovery with my kids.
In contemplating a lifetime of learning and discovery, I wondered about how humans learn. During the first year or two of life we learn through observation, then we learn a language and begin asking questions, and all the while reasoning to the best of our ability. Imagine being in a new place where you didn’t speak the language—many of you may have had this experience—all of your learning in this foreign country would be through observation. That means we still, as adults, have the ability to learn this way. Now imagine going to your first meeting with your Chemistry merit badge councilor and learning chemical names, principles and formulas. All the while asking questions. We still learn through asking questions as well. Merit badges, and other formal training, give us the language with which to ask the right questions and explore our world, and this is why they are such a large part of the scouting program.
Now that my daughter is 22 years old and I have gone through the process with my 19 year old daughter and 16 year old son—I have a much greater understanding of what types of information we glean from each type of learning method. I have a tremendous appreciation for both the virtue of child-like wonder, and the beauty of “The Question”. Without wonder there is no question, and if the wonder is not child-like, then we ask the question as if we already know the answer. Forming a thoughtful question is more important than the answer. One reason for this is that the answers can change—for example, we tell first year medical students that 50% of what they will learn in medical school is wrong; the problem is we don’t know which half is right. Our challenge as we age is to continue to look at the world with the eyes of a child, but incorporating the wisdom of an adult. My children have helped me to learn this blended inquisitive nature, and as a parent, I hopefully have returned the favor.
As you go through your advancement requirements, merit badges, and school work, be observant and always ask “The Question”. New areas of investigation are like foreign lands where you don’t yet know the language–be observant. This is especially true on your outdoor adventures—you need to imagine that the forest is a foreign place—for many of us it really is—and be aware, looking at the world as a child in the woods. Yogi Bera said, “You can see a lot by looking”. Approach the world with childlike wonder and ask questions—questions are sacred. Why is the sky blue, why are cardinals red, why do I have five fingers on each hand—what controls how many fingers I have. Strive to not be childish—looking at the world only at the surface, but be child-like use your child-like wonder to understand the fascinating world around you and to uncover the mysteries that underlie its beauty.
