Surpassing Ourselves

During college I was sent a care package of foil-wrapped Dove chocolates with small idioms on the inside. One read, "Worry wastes wisdom." The chart above is every bit as sage however, calorie-free.

Frame the word "problem" as an objective without a pre-meditated way to achieve. It can be satisfying (which coffee shall I order?), dastardly (400 page thesis), creative (gardening) or banal (data entry). Many problems are simple, and others are rather complex (Bereiter & Scardemalia, 1993).

In The Martian starring Matt Damon, astronaut Mark Watney is abandoned on Mars after an emergency evacuation of his crew. Notice whether your first reaction is, "HOW WILL HE SURVIVE?"versus,"HE'S FINISHED!"

Let's return to the chart, as a reminder the problem is: You are on Mars until further notice. Tension arises in: "Can you do something about it?" If you answer "Yes." you might identify with Mark Watney and think, "How will I survive?" If you answer "No." you may conclude "He's finished!" but continue to suffocate in your own anxiety.

Imagine you've automatized all information necessary to be an expert botanist and astronaut. Surviving Mars remains a daunting undertaking.

Mark Watney initially ponders the overwhelming question of "How will I survive?" but swiftly moves beyond obvious solutions of how to maintain. Many of us would not advance further than conserving remaining resources at hand.

During these breakthroughs, I realized my tension arises from an artificial "NO," when I believe or know there really is something that can be done! On a personal level I ask, "Am I worrying or problem solving?" I try to parse the two by noting whether I am pondering a realistic solution (action-based) versus entertaining a specific scenario (dialogue-based, usually inclusive of an imaginary argument reliant on fixed points of discussion).

Back to Mars, named for the Roman God of War...Mark breaks down his mega-task into increasingly smaller questions. How long am I expected to live? What resources do I have? How can I make any or all of these resources renewable? I am a botanist, perhaps I can make a garden. This series allows him to imagine hyper-inventive solutions, such as growing potatoes from astronaut poop.

Experts see the big picture and become energized, rather than defeated. They assess a massive challenge and are able to create steps. Whether by force or intrigue, they reinvest themselves into greater learning. Their erstwhile highest prior knowledge becomes the new baseline and additional skills are sought.

Take your fundamental knowledge for granted, stop worrying and work it out!



                                                             Works Cited
Scott, R. (2015). The Martian. United States: 20th Century Fox

Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1993). Chapter Four: Expertise as process. In Surpassing ourselves: An inquiry into the nature and implications of expertise (pp. 77­-120). Chicago: Open Court.

Unknown. "Worry Chart"