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A guy at the library told me asking 'anything' is a waste of time
I was at the main branch downtown last Tuesday, looking for a book on old radios. This older man saw me and asked what I was after. I told him I was just curious, you know, asking anything that came to mind. He got real serious and said, 'That's the problem. You can't just ask anything. You need a focused question or you'll never learn.' He said it took him 40 years to learn that. I just nodded, but I really don't agree. Sometimes the best stuff comes from a random, open question. Has anyone else had someone push back on the whole idea of just being curious?
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blakefox7mo ago
Man, that guy sounds like he sucked all the fun out of the room. Some of the coolest things I've ever learned started with me just wandering around a topic with no real goal. Maybe his way works for him, but telling someone their curiosity is a waste is just plain wrong.
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uma_patel187mo ago
Yeah but @blakefox, sometimes you need a goal to get anywhere, right?
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abby8366mo ago
Honestly, why do people act like having a goal is the only way to do anything right? Blakefox is totally onto something about how cool stuff comes from just messing around. I see this all the time where people treat curiosity like it's a waste of time if it doesn't lead to a clear finish line. It just kills the fun of learning anything new. Tbh that mindset is why so many hobbies feel like a second job now.
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