Motivated Knowledge Seeker
As she talked to her colleagues, she gazed down at the ground and looked bewildered. "My door was demolished. The intruder must have used a crowbar and brute force to smash through my front door. The burglar went through each room, stealing and strewing my belongings on the floor."
We were all shocked and, in our minds, visually imagining the result of the burglary. Could this happen in our home?
She continued, "I feel completely violated. I don't feel safe in my home."
The incident caused her and others listening to the story to seek knowledge about home invasions. It was a priority to identify ways to secure our homes.
A home invasion victim might experience anger or fear responses. Those feelings can set knowledge seekers to action. But there are other knowledge-seeker stimulators. Some people are naturally curious and want to learn. Others become interested through experiences. By moving out of their comfort zone and encountering a variety of experiences, they learn what is engaging and fun.
As a school principal, I recommended to parents and students that they should experience the many opportunities in our school. I encouraged students to join clubs and athletic teams and engage in various specialty classes. I wanted the young people to learn from experiences that would lead to uncovering personal interests.
Once motivated and excited about learning something new, a person can make choices about the learning process. They can choose to specialize and become an expert by focusing on the depth of learning and, more broadly, the breadth of learning.
Let us go back to the homeowner that found her house vandalized by burglars to consider the learning that followed the problem.
Upon arriving home on the day of the burglary, she first saw a smashed-in door. The entranceway looked like the result of a small explosion, filled with splintered wood and door hardware. Burglars are aware that most homeowners are not aware of home security. Home invaders kick open cheaply constructed front doors. Burglars hope the homeowner is not a knowledge seeker about home security. Their goal is to enter quickly and depart quickly.
A good strategy for homeowners to understand front door locking mechanisms is to focus on depth of learning. In addition to the door lock, you might find a deadbolt, strike plate, screws that hold the strike plate, a doorjamb, and door framing. Many problems could be associated with door security, but let us focus on the strike plate screws in our depth of learning example.
Unfortunately, the screws holding strike plates are usually very short. Many contractors will only put in three-quarter-inch screws. The screws go through the thin doorjamb and do not go into the stronger doorframe, usually a 2 x 4. Three-quarter-inch screws will not hold back a strong force such as a kick. In addition, even if the short screws withstand a strike, the thin wooden doorjamb will not withstand kick force. The wood will splinter.
A quick couple of kicks at the deadbolt or locked area of the door will usually open the door. Ask any police officer, and they will confirm that short screws will not withstand a punishing burglar.
Now that we understand door hardware better let us identify a quick fix. Take out the three-quarter-inch screws and replace them with 3-inch screws. Doing this will secure the strike plate to the doorjamb and doorframe. Our punishing burglar still might be able to break through the door with longer screws, but it will be more difficult and take longer.
There must be more than just a depth of learning (focusing only on the strike plate screws) about the front door problem to stop an intruder. Breadth of learning about stopping home invasions can add to our plan to stop the burglar. Burglars do not always come through the front door. How can we improve overall home security?
Although most doors give way at the lock and doorjamb, some are weak at the hinge area. If the screws are only three-quarters an inch in length, the hinge area of the door might break away for easy entry. Our depth of learning is helping us.
Home security awareness might also include knowledge about the following subjects:
security systems
cameras
windows security
exterior lighting
knowing how to respond when someone you do not know knocks on the door
knowing how to respond to a home invasion - having a plan
landscaping
sliding glass door security
safe rooms
a big noisy dog
The above list reinforces the importance of breadth of learning. You should increase your depth of knowledge and breadth of learning about home security. Home invaders are aware of opportunities. Do not be an easy target.
Home security awareness is just one example of a knowledge seeker's advantage over people who are not curious. Most knowledge seekers are naturally curious. For others, proactively trying experiences outside of their comfort zones might open eyes to learning opportunities and fun. It is incredible what we can learn about ourselves through experiences. Once hooked, we can choose our level of learning.
Questions
How would you evaluate your motivation to be a knowledge seeker?
How would you improve your ability to find new interests in life?
How do you prioritize your time to become knowledgeable about a specific topic?
What resources do you use to become an expert?
How would you justify that increasing knowledge in breadth and depth is essential?
Martial Arts Perspective
People who study martial arts at Delaware Hapkido Martial Arts Academy learn over time how important it is to become a knowledge seeker. The longer you train, the more you realize that simple techniques and fundamentals lead to high levels of expertise. By learning in-depth, the martial artist becomes an expert. However, the breadth of learning also is important.
What does the breadth of learning look like for a martial arts student? Although I practice hapkido, I have a bookshelf filled with books about ground fighting, joint locking, escaping, avoiding conflicts, striking, kicking, weapons, meditation, visualization, self-discipline, leadership, and more. The breadth of learning is a part of the learning and training to become proficient and highly effective.
