You, the Knower
1. How old are you? How might your age affect both what you know and your attitude towards gaining knowledge?
I am currently 16. I know this because it says on my birth certificate, and I grew up being told like that. I think that your personal age does affect the way of thinking since in an extreme example, if you are 7, it might be difficult to understand the concept of death. Where as if you are 16, it would be more likely for that person to understand or accept death. In addition, it tends to be easier to control kids rather than adults since they are ‘in experienced’. I think that this way of thinking is kind of to do with your experience.
2. What is your mother tongue? What other languages do you speak? How might your particular languages affect your knowledge?
My mother tongue would be Japanese. Other than that, I could only speak English. So I am a bi-lingual. I think that your particular language can affect the way you think to an extent. This is because each language have different vocabularies. For example, there are words such as ‘臨機応変’ in Japanese, but if you were to explain this in English, it would be like go with the flow. As you can see, there is no phrase that is EXACTLY THE SAME in any language. So, if your mother tongue is Japanese, I think that your attitude and the way of thinking would differ than a English person.
3. What sex are you? Does your gender role affect how you see the world and what expectations you have about your knowledge and education?
I am a male. I personally believe that girls can be far neater than boys in terms of the quality of work, and the completion of homework. But on the other hand, I think that boys and girls have different values. For example, I think that girls tend to be more emotional than boys. So in my impression, it seems as tough girls tends to take a long time deciding on one thing. Where as a lot of boys tend to just go with the flow. So, since I grew up in an international environment where both girls and boys both got education, I do not have specific expectations for both genders.
4. Are you urban or rural? How might you living in a city or living in the countryside affect how you have learned and what you know?
I think that I am urban. This is because I have only lived in the city for my whole life. I think that living in an urban are would provide you with more sophisticated education since cities tends to have better facilities. Further more, I think that the case studies you learn tend to be based in the city (if you live in the city). Also, if you live in the city, I think that you grow up in a packed space so I think you tend to be more ‘narrow minded’. So I think that their knowledge tends to be bias. If you live in a rural area, I think that you will grow up in a place where there are more space so I think that people could grow up in a relaxed manner.
5. What is your spiritual worldview? How do you think that your following a particular religion, or not doing so, affects your knowledge?
I am an atheist so I do not believe in any religion in particular. But since I grew up in a Japanese family, I guess I am kind of towards Shinto. Since I do believe in the existence of Hotoke. From as far as I know, Religion has been the tool to control and collect money from people. I think that religion is basically a way to manipulate people’s mind to gather money. From this, since I am not an atheist, it seems rather ironic to give or ‘donate’ a lot of money to the church, shirring etc. If you are a Christian, you would believe that everything has been made by god so I think that your perspective would definitely differ from an atheist.
6. What other aspects of your background belong here? The questions so far have just been guides, opening thoughts to which you can really add.
I think that the culture or the place where you grew up would definitely effect the way of your thinking and your understandings. This is because for example, if you grow up in India as a local citizen, you would not be really against suttee or other religious events. Where as if a British person sees this act, they would probably think that this is inhumane. So Just like religion, I think that the conditions that you grew in would change your morals and your perspectives.
