When you hear someone call me a professor, the first question that will be raised in your mind is - who made him a professor? He did not even have a degree, so how can he become a professor? You have no idea about what is possible.
I earned the reputation of a professor for the first time when I was in the teenage department of my church but before that, people only accused me of trying to show that I knew so much. You might think that I earned that reputation by providing answers to questions, but no, I earned it by asking questions that no one could answer.
Before joining the teenage department, months after I arrived in Lagos, I dedicated myself to a voluntary rebirth through self-discovery and development; I started by reading the Bible from cover to cover and had so many questions to be answered.
I joined the teenage department of the church to see if they could answer the many questions I have accumulated over time. Soon, I found out that my questions were too hard, and even the pastor could not provide answers to them.
As time went on, my questions forced the pastor to do more studies and would extend a topic for a week or two. Before I came, that was not happening. They just teach and everyone says they understand and get dismissed. I was different. I wanted to know more. I did not want answers that I could not question.
Many of the teenagers did not like me as my questions were dragging the class and it felt as if all attention was on me. I could see many of them accused me of trying to prove that I knew more than everyone else, whereas, all I was only trying to find answers to the many questions that reading the Bible from cover to cover provided.
One day, the pastor jokingly called me “Professor”, and since then, it stuck.
People started calling me a professor. What is the lesson from here? The lesson is that people did not recognize that I knew so much because I was answering questions. They did because I was asking questions.
People who know little or nothing often rush to provide answers to questions that they were not asked, but the more knowledgeable ones ask questions to make sure that the answers provided are correct. That was what I did that earned me the reputation of a professor. I still do so and it works so well.
If anyone tries to prove any of my works wrong with an attack, I just ask them questions that will expose their ignorance and force them to learn more. A lot of folks do not like this. They still argue, and the more they do, the more questions I ask until they are frustrated & leave.
No one can accuse me of slandering or libeling anyone for asking questions – questions are never wrong. No one can ever be sent to jail for asking questions. This is why it is my most potent tool to expose ignorance. You cannot beat me unless you can answer the questions provided.
A lot of people feel that asking questions only reveals their ignorance but the reverse is often the case. Asking questions often reveals how much you know if you know how to ask the right questions. I do not talk about rhetorical questions; I mean intelligent questions that question people’s sources of knowledge and their authenticity.
The essence of this is for you to learn to ask questions – do not go everywhere trying to correct people. I have done that before and I realized it was a stupid thing to do. If you felt something was wrong with what someone posited, ask a question to bring attention to it instead of trying to prove that you know more than the person.
Surely, fake teachers always find questions offensive, but you cannot be accused of any wrong for asking questions. Maybe one day, I will be awarded a professorship for answering questions, but I already earned a reputation from a number of people for asking questions. You may learn to do it too.
Written by Soul’e Rhymez
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