"Everyone rushes to answers too much."
After the exam, Ren murmured.
Haru asked. "What do you mean?"
"The exam just now. The last essay question—there was time to think, but everyone started writing immediately."
Simon showed interest. "You didn't write?"
"I wrote after thinking enough. But others had already finished."
Haru laughed. "That's so Ren."
"Why do people rush to answers?" Ren thought seriously.
"Because there's a time limit." Haru answered.
"Is that all?" Ren questioned back. "In daily life too, people rush to answers. When asked 'what do you think?', they try to answer immediately."
Simon nodded. "Anxiety about uncertainty."
"Uncertainty?"
"A state without answers is unstable. So people want to reach an answer quickly to stabilize."
Ren understood. "But rushed answers are shallow."
"Always?" Haru objected. "Sometimes intuitive answers are correct."
"True." Ren acknowledged. "But that's because of unconscious deliberation."
"Unconscious deliberation?"
"For problems you've thought about long, answers come instantly. But new problems need time."
Simon gave an example. "Kahneman's 'Thinking, Fast and Slow.' System 1 and System 2."
"Systems?" Haru asked.
"System 1 is intuitive thinking. Fast. System 2 is logical thinking. Slow."
Ren continued. "The problem is trying to answer with System 1 questions that can't be answered with System 1."
"Why do that?"
"Because it's easier." Ren said quietly. "Thinking uses energy. So the brain tries to conserve."
Haru crossed her arms. "But I feel like that's not all."
"What do you mean?"
"Society demands answers." Haru pointed out. "When asked 'what do you think?', it's hard to say 'still thinking.'"
Simon was impressed. "Sharp. Social pressure forces hasty answers."
"But," Ren objected, "philosophically, the courage to say 'I don't know' is important."
"Socrates's 'knowledge of ignorance.'" Simon supplemented.
Haru was confused. "So rushing to answers is bad?"
"Depends on the situation." Ren answered calmly. "In emergencies, quick judgment is necessary. But important questions deserve time."
"How do you distinguish?"
"Discern the nature of the question." Ren explained. "Is it about facts or values?"
"Are they different?"
"Facts can be found through research. But values must be thought through."
Simon added. "'Correct' versus 'good.'"
Haru thought. "'What's 2+2?' is fact. 'What's life's meaning?' is value."
"Yes. Instant answers to value questions are dangerous." Ren emphasized. "That's abandoning thought."
"But," Haru worried, "what if you keep thinking and no answer comes?"
"That's also an answer." Simon smiled. "'I can't answer now' is an honest answer."
Ren looked out the window. "Ancient Greek philosophers valued questions over answers."
"Why?"
"Answers close. Questions open."
Haru's eyes lit up. "Answers are endpoints. Questions are starting points."
"Poetic but accurate." Ren acknowledged. "Rushing to answers is ending thought."
"So continuing to question is important?"
"By continuing to question, you can think deeply." Simon summarized. "Haste is the enemy of thought."
Haru laughed. "I understand why Ren wrote slowly in the exam."
"Without rushing, thinking carefully. That's all."
"The result?"
Ren looked embarrassed. "Not back yet."
"Could it be you ran out of time and didn't finish?" Simon asked jokingly.
"...The last line."
Haru laughed. "Balance matters too."
"Exactly." Ren smiled wryly. "Not too fast, not too slow."
The three laughed together. When to rush to answers and when not to. Discerning that might be wisdom.