Experience

Wittgenstein's Ruler is a concept introduced by philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. It states that:

Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using the table to measure the ruler.

The concept links to how we form our knowledge, hence to the realm of epistemology. One instance is how we imagine places we've never been. For example, my view of the United States of America was formed through films and my studies in business and innovation, where eight out of ten case analyzed at lectures were focused on US companies.

When I disembarked at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, my expectations were very different from what I experienced while there, both in positive and in negative, depending on the area of focus. I am extremely grateful for that opportunity, and when friends ask me about it, I'm happy to share my adventures. Still, I always end with, "I encourage you to experiment in person and not to rely on heard stories."

Linking it back to the ruler's metaphor, the process of knowing the unknown is simultaneous to the process of getting to know yourself.

The call to action of this post is to test your beliefs empirically, keep those who hold the impact to reality, and let go of those who don't. One outcome of my journey has been the revaluation of my home city and country in light of my experience abroad.

PS: To fully understand the picture, this is the contest where I received a honorable mention.