I am discovering more and more how important it is to begin with the basics. If I have a good foundation of knowledge I can build on that. Both for my education and for my career. I am pursuing the role of educator with Matrix and I am pursuing a doctorate in anthropology, to add a certain amount of gravitas to my eventual publication of a book(or more).
Each time I think upon the subject, I find that it is most useful for me to be able to fully understand the most basic fundementals, so I can work with the more complicated portions of my career. I believe Einstein said something to the effect of "if you can't explain it to a five year old, you don't understand it well enough". That really sticks with me. If I can't explain things simply, then I am not educated enough in those basics. So each day I work to thoroughly understand and explore the most basic concepts. Then I have the ability to be able to share those ideas with others.
That is the test for me. Each time I have the opportunity to share my knowledge, I have the opportunity to check my understanding. While I love the academic jargon and can make sense of it fairly easily, many of my students and peers have trouble. Best to use the simplest of terms and build off of that. If I can spark an interest by making the seemingly complicated more comprehensible, then I feel I have done my job. Perhaps someone else can build their foundation from the information I have to share.
