Why Become a Researcher

2024-08-29 · Ho Chanh Nghia

Originally published on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-become-researcher-khanh-pham-q5ryc/

Why Become a Researcher

Research is the world’s biggest industry. Those who cannot do it well or evaluate that of others will find themselves sidelined in a world increasingly dependent on sound ideas based on good information produced by trustworthy inquiry and then presented clearly and accurately.

Without trustworthy published research, we all would be locked in the opinions of the moment, prisoners of what we alone experience or dupes to whatever we’re told. Of course, we want to believe that our opinions are sound. Yet mistaken ideas, even dangerous ones, flourish because too many people accept too many opinions based on too little evidence. And as recent events have shown, those who act on unreliable evidence can lead us— indeed have led us—into disaster

– Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. Fitzgerald

These days, you get your foot in the door 3 ways: (1) you have mad skills/natural talent (2) you have the right credentials/qualifications and (3) you are highly networked.

– Katie Kalvoda

This idea that we should sideline people is common. Today, we all it a cancel culture. A weaker form of genocide but no less effective. it damages people’s livelihood, and prevents them from reproducing, and competing–everything a genocide is designed to accomplish, the cancel culture achieves without blood on their hands.

Some strive for status, some strive for money.

A true student, however, will strive to understand. An exploiter looking to gain an advantage will waste no opportunity to capitalize on a shortcut.

in the massive public genocide of Palestinians by Israel, the authority, the researcher, the academic, the source of all credibility was put into doubt. No longer do they enjoy the unquestioned authority on truth. For 1,000 years the Catholics have had a monopoly on truth. for 200 years, the US has a monopoly on truth. A wide baseless guess is that the Western world, the descendants of Rome have had a monopoly on truth for 500 years. The half-life of fake truth seems to get shorter and shorter.

After the fall of Western civilization do we go straight to the truth? Or do we end up with another fake truth for 100 years, then 50, then 20, then 10 before we arrive at the final truth?

When Genghis Khan woke up to the call of duty, he had to choose for himself what he will be. To be sidelined? or be a researcher? or neither? You can imagine that in 111, an eloquent Mongol speaking at the Chinese court would win little favor. But a deadly Mongol sitting on the throne of the Chinese empire can change the world.

Many people are trapped into thinking they are the superior race. And there is truth in that. Things are as they are because of the support structure. But to fully understand the support structure, and be able to take out the support structure is a feat that few can do.

You can climb a ladder to reach the top, or you can chop the ladder and bring the top down. In the infamous IChing, the Art of War, the Tao, the Buddhist philosophy–there is no way. The way is always a choice, which is different from person to person, and different from time to time.

Today, Palestinians asking for peace is no different from Mongols asking for peace before the sword of Genghis Khan was placed at the neck of the emperor.

You know, a competent researcher could have told you that, but I have yet to find one. I am still in search of a competent researcher who could speak this truth. As ten years have gone by, it looks like if there is to be one, it will have to be me.

I wish more people could see that the individual struggle is only individual because the world has not understood the principles of it all. The individual struggle is the collective struggle. But people are lost in comfort to want to see their struggle being paid for by other people.

When the 8 billion people realized a crime against 1 person is a crime against 8 billion, then many of these Gaza and Palestinian issues will never have a chance of arising.

In short, I would argue, that there’s more than one way to open a door. It all depends. on too many things.