The Demon of Politeness and the Angel of Rudeness
Once upon a time, an Alchemist was lecturing to his Apprentices about the Transmutation of Elements. One of the Apprentices was puzzled by a small point in the lesson.
Suddenly a Demon and an Angel appeared on the Apprentice’s shoulders.
The Demon of Politeness said, “Don’t ask! You’ll only look foolish. None of these other people are asking, so they must know. Besides, it’s bound to clear up later.”
Meanwhile, the Angel of Rudeness ranted, “ASK! ASK! ASK!”
The Apprentice knew, down to his chilled bones, that the Demon of Politeness was lying!
So he listened to the holy Angel of Rudeness, he asked, and a half-dozen other Apprentices silently blessed him.
Moral: ASK! ASK! ASK!
As an one who works in the alchemy of Information Technology (with a security focus) It is interesting how different areas and specializations vary as to whether the Demon or Angel predominant in presentations and classes.
ReplyDeleteA group of instructors once observed how different the asking or not was between my area(lots of asking in class/presentation) vs. another region where the asking was only in ever in private.
Asking is such a great way to magnify learning for all involved, including the lead Alchemist.
I often sit in the front row to make asking easier.