VI. Who, What, Why, Where, & How…
Words of investigation
"As Cuvier could correctly describe a whole animal by the contemplation of a single bone, so the observer who has thoroughly understood one link in a series of incidents, should be able accurately to state all of the other ones, both before and after.'
- Sherlock Ho lmes
Who, What, Why, Where, & How are the foundational words of learning. For although all of the basic principles to understand everything were discussed in the preceding chapters, in order to actually utilize them one must ask questions about them as well as about the world around them. After all, cliche as it may sound, a question unasked is a question unanswered. The seed unplanted is the seed that will never become a plant. One may know many things but will never be able to progress in their knowledge if that knowledge remains dormant. Like the ancient Chinese proverb says,
"That which stops growing is that which starts dying,'
which is also expressed in Bob Dylan's song "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)." Jump-started by curiosity, a person's knowledge may interact with itself to yield more knowledge-and such knowledge is more powerful and more memorable than that taught by another. For it is your own knowledge; self- created, grounded in many connections within the mind instead of a few outside it. Descartes said:
“If I feel that I can learn something through my own faculties, I will avoid learning it through other means, so that I may have the simple Pleasure of reveling in this capability that I Possess.'
And anything that yields beneficial results- whether it be a well- performing car, a good pen, a successful crop, or a special skill- is something that will be return