For many of us, the last time we learned a new skill was during childhood. Today we live in an age that looks up to any kind of expertise but looks down on the beginner. Upon entering adulthood and middle age, we begin to shy away from trying and learning new things, instead preferring to stay with the tried and tested.
Tom Vanderbilt is a writer who covers the worlds of design, technology, science, and culture. A contributing editor of Wired (U.K.), Outside, and Artforum, you may have read his articles in The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, or The New York Times Magazine. In 2008 his book Traffic, which looked at why we drive the way we do (and what it says about us), became a New York Times bestseller. His latest work is called Beginners: The Joy And Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning and seeks to explore the curious power of lifelong learning.
In the book, he asks the question: why are children the only ones allowed to experience the inherent fun of facing daily challenges? In fact, it is just possible that we could all benefit from embracing new skills, even if we’re initially hopeless? In the book Tom sets out to find the answer, setting himself the goal of acquiring several new skills under the expert tuition of professionals, including drawing, juggling, surfing and much more. Malcolm Gladwell said that ‘Beginners belongs on the list of books that have changed the way I understand my own limitations.
Tom and I discuss the value of having a beginner’s mind, Takumi’s, traveling on a journey of not knowing, and why having intellectual humility opens us up to new experiences.