Clouds are a common symbol in our language. We hear phrases like “clouded judgment” and we quip that all clouds have a silver lining. We communicate a man’s condition by saying that he is “on cloud nine,” that he “has his head in the clouds,” or that he has a “cloud hanging over him.” We predict danger by claiming that there are “dark clouds on the horizon” and find someone “under a cloud of suspicion,” all while using our Apple iCloud and watching Cloud Atlas or A Walk in the Clouds . Clouds are used to express sadness, joy, suspicion, anger, distraction, and—often negatively—confusion. Yet, it is within this "cloud of confusion" where learning can begin to take place; for in addition to curiosity, confusion is a beginning point where people are motivated to learn, to break through the fog to gain understanding. Just as important, I am convinced that those who succeed, who have labored and waded through the fog to gain knowledge, find that knowledge more valuable than thos...