5 July, 2025
It is surprising how little people talk about unawareness in this Information Age. For instance, some people I talk to here and there look down upon me for not knowing something that they themselves have experience with. It maybe as casual as knowing that a film has been released recently or as serious as a topic of current world politics and stock market fluctuations. All in all, it is quite interesting that so many people value their conversants’ awareness of the topic, rather than the topic itself at times.
The other day, I was talking to a friend. It went something like this.
“Hey. ABC Studios really nailed that game’s XYZ feature.” “Sure,” I replied after giving a moment to think. “Um, you do know ABC Studios, right?” “Honestly, no.” “C’mon, you make games right? Maybe go try that?” “You gotta explore your industry, if you’re going to make games,” he continued.
Would you enjoy being around this kind of person? Yes, following that advice makes you go further in your professional career. It might push you to reach higher limits outside your comfortable zone. Though, it might be problematic if someone you know uses that kind of wording to convey their genuine concern and motive to help.
It is vital that you (and all of us) differentiate between Unawareness and Ignorance. The key factor is if it is intentional. Not knowing that you have debt to pay because you are taking care of your grandma, is definitely acceptable (and should be acceptable if your local community doesn’t.) But running away from the debt after knowing does not help anyone in the long run, especially you.
My point is that we should learn to nurture each other’s curiosities. Direct our mindsets to let our conversational partners/recipients ask questions about things. Not push them down for not knowing something about a specialized industry, hobby, person or topic that you know or care more about. Not only giving more time to developing your way of socially and verbally helping another, but also giving people chances to go and learn about the things you (or they) want to discuss about.