The illusion of knowledge
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the Little People, Big Dreams series that my daughter has been bringing home each week from school.
Each book focuses on a different inspirational figure, offering short, digestible glimpses into the lives of people who shaped the world. Because the stories are crafted for children, they cut right to the heart of what made each person remarkable.
One story that really stayed with me was about Maria Montessori.
A passage from the book stood out:
“Maria’s work then took her to a mental health hospital, where she worked with children who had learning disabilities. She noticed that the children were deprived of toys and activities. She thought that if they received special education and care they would start to flourish. She began to research and try out this idea, with great results.”
It made me reflect on something I often wonder about:
the illusion that we’re always at the peak of understanding.
With so much information at our fingertips, it’s easy to feel like we’re smarter than ever. But maybe that just gives us a false sense of certainty.
It leads me to question – what are we doing today – in how we teach, raise, or guide our children, or simply in how we think about things ourselves – that will one day make us look back and say, “Wow… I can’t believe we even thought and did that”?