on Knowing the Answer
I remember the first time I didn’t know the answer to a question in school — in first grade. We used to have a game where we would be counting by tens, say, and each person would have to go in turn. Well, one time it got to me and the previous number had been 990. The only thing I could think of that could come next was “ten hundred,” but I knew that wasn’t right. So what could I do? I burst into tears.
Of course, I much prefer the times when I have the answer, however unlikely. Today, this happened twice. The first was this morning when a colleague asked about an obscure bug that, coincidentally, I spent all of yesterday afternoon tracking down. I was able to tell him not only where the problem was occurring, but why and how to work around it. And then this evening a friend from church was telling me about an old electronic tuner he used to have which would register just above an A three octaves below middle C, even when his instrument was silent, and even when used in multiple places. Without trying, I had the sudden insight that this would correspond exactly to the 60 Hz of electricity used in this country and emitted by things like fluorescent lighting. Voila — mystery solved.
Since first grade, I think I’ve become a little better at dealing with all the questions that simply have no clear answers…of which there are many (and most of them more troublesome than counting, believe it or not). Mystery and ambiguity are rich and meaningful things. But all the same, there’s definitely something extremely satisfying about having someone ask me something and knowing exactly what the answer is, and knowing that I’m right.
awwe, you cried in 1st grade when you didn’t know the answer, that is incredibly cute (mainly because this corresponds so nicely with the wee David from your home videos). Although I must say part of me is also laughing
Abby said this on November 15th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Interesting thoughts, and I would comment more except I can’t stop laughing at “ten hundred.”
The first time I remember not having the answer in school was in math in first grade. I was reading under my desk instead of paying attention, and didn’t even hear the question. I think I answered, “Ten” on the basis that she probably wanted some number and ten was a nice round one.
phoenix said this on November 15th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
I don’t really remember ever KNOWing the answer in kindergarten. I was separated from my best friend in first grade because all I did the year before was copy her work. I don’t think I knew that was wrong. I was very young for my grade and not very good at the school thing. I just read “Eve’s Diary” by Mark Twain and was struck by a passage where she talks about the joy of figuring things out and how sad she will be when there are no more questions left to solve in the world because she’s figured them all out.
Stephanie said this on November 17th, 2007 at 4:06 am