Knowledge Transition

First, I would like to state that I love my family and this is my perspective. It is not meant to disrespect anyone.

It's been frustrating growing up and living with my parents. I have a very scientific and logical mindset. One of my favorite sayings is to have strong opinions, held weakly.

I had the opportunity to complete an Electric Engineering degree. In contrast, both of my parents did not pass the equivalent of junior high school. They have been working at restaurants and farms for their entire lives without much time to keep up with new science and technology knowledge that we tend to take for granted.

Like many cultures, the Chinese culture is filled with traditions, many of which can't really be explained why it's done in particular ways. I have learned to embrace and appreciate the traditions (e.g. Chinese New Years).

My frustration has come to how my parents build up their knowledge. Most, if not all, of what they know come from what they hear from other people and it is up to my parents to decide what they will believe in. This isn't dissimilar to what many American do in the political scene. Essentially, whoever they trust enough tend to build up their knowledge base.

One example I have seen recently is charging a cell phone battery. It was true that older battery technology (NiMH/NiCd) should be fully charged then completely depleted to avoid battery memory effects. But with newer Li-ion technology, that is no longer the case. But my mother still is convinced that cell phone batteries should be fully charged since it's better for the battery, just because that's what she knows and what people tell her.

Unlike my parents, those who can read and use technology have access to a comprehensive knowledge bank (e.g. the internet). And for those who can weed out the trolls and bad sources, it can be an excellent resource. While we still need to decide what sources we want to trust, there are definitely more qualified experts on various subjects writing articles (or at least doing the journalistic work) on the internet than the people around us. Technology has changed how we learn and a transition will continue.

In arguments that have a right and wrong answer, I can just take out my phone and visit a reputable source to find out the facts. And that is usually the end of it. But with my mother, she is stubborn in what she believes (and in what she has heard before); the argument may continue or, more likely, she will end the argument and continue believing in what she believes, even if it was wrong. This is completely infuriating to me. I tend to have a much more logical mindset than most people. Again, have strong opinions, held weakly.

There are conflicts between scientific and spiritual thoughts as well. I wrote about how the Chinese look at giving blood in a different way than in the western world. I'm not sure whether my parents' opposition to donating blood is that it is bad for my qi (life energy) or their view are based on something they have heard in the past.

People like my parents are not as stupid as we tend to think. They have different experiences that affect their method of thinking and how they go about learning. For my parents, their lack of education and inability to use technology to retrieve information has affected how they build their knowledge (i.e. reliant on what they hear from those around them). For me, I have been fortunate to have had an excellent education, access to many resources (e.g. internet and libraries), and amazing people around me.

Without a doubt, I'm grateful to my parents who sacrificed much of their lives to give me and my siblings the amazing lives we have now. This is the American Dream.