“So, you think you have all the answers, do you?” my dad was fond of saying when I smugly cut him off from speaking. I, of course, thought that I did. It took me a long time to see what an important lesson he was teaching me.
“We don’t know what we don’t know” may sound absurd or overly simplistic. But it’s a vital truth worth understanding. If we don’t know something, then we don’t know it…and we can’t see it or experience it or evaluate it.
And the sad truth is: There is MUCH we don’t know. And we can’t see those gaping holes.
We humans tend to think we’re quite special, that we have the answers to most any question. But, in truth, that’s all ego-driven nonsense that, I believe, comes from our almost-desperate desire to feel safe and in control of our lives.
Just consider how we learn. We go to school and fill our brains. Then our formal education stops. After that, what we learn comes from our interest in the world around and our desire to know about it. But, if we’re not asking questions and seeking answers, we’re basically not learning.
You probably already see my point: If you’re reading this and
you think my assertions and promises are BS, or
you’ve already explored changing yourself and trying to make things better…and you came up short so you’ve decided nothing will work, or
you believe there’s no such thing as an invisible “spiritual realm” or that, if there is, it couldn’t possibly benefit us
then you’ve fallen into the “we don’t know what we don’t know” trap.
I just want to gently point that out because it doesn’t serve you and your growth. Maybe you want to let that go now?
William