Parachutes & Brains: Both Work Better When Open

My Dear Beloved Students,

Let’s talk about parachutes. No, not because I’m planning to throw you out of a plane (though, if you keep forgetting your assignments, who knows?). I’m talking about the one inside your head—your mind. Frank Zappa once said: “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.”

Translation: If you walk around with a closed mind, refusing to learn, question, or see things from a different perspective, you’re basically free-falling without a parachute. And trust me, that doesn’t end well.

Why This Matters

1. If you think you already know everything, you’ll never actually learn anything. (And you’ll definitely be the most annoying person in the room.)

2. Being open-minded means being open to new ideas, cultures, and possibilities. Imagine rejecting sushi before trying it—tragic, right? The same goes for knowledge.

3. Growth happens when you step out of your comfort zone. If cavemen hadn’t been open-minded, we’d still be living in caves, eating raw meat, and using rocks as WiFi routers.

So, my dear students, keep your parachutes open. Absorb new ideas. Challenge old ones. And if someone presents a wild theory in class, don’t just shut it down—explore it. Worst case? You’ll end up a little smarter. Best case? You’ll have a great story to tell.

Stay curious, stay open, and most importantly—don’t free-fall into ignorance.

*Your Knowledge Skydiving Instructor,

Dr Kamal Sabran