Dear Visitor,
How do you know the things you don’t know?
I am curious how you might respond to the question. Please click below to answer.
Sonia Paul
Journalist + Audio Producer
Journalist + Audio Producer
Dear Visitor,
How do you know the things you don’t know?
I am curious how you might respond to the question. Please click below to answer.
Sonia Paul 
The problem is that I don’t know what I don’t know, and much of what I believe I know is not right. I do believe that I have inherited many lies.
A memorable observation shared with me some years ago (I was 20 years old?) when I was a younger man, and Harford (an older man maybe 50-55 years of age with whom I was visiting) explained the difference between hope and knowledge. Harford invited me to look out the window where little Johnny was playing in the yard, and he said “See little Johnny out there playing in the yard?” I said “Yes, I do”. Harford continued saying “Now I hope he’s mine, but Alma (Harford’s wife), she knows.”
So it may be that I hope a lot, believe less, and know very little.
Truly wishing you the best,
George…..,
Before the year ends…thank you for your feedback. 🙂 It makes one think.
Dear Sonia, I believe one cannot know what one doesn’t know. But it’s our imagination that helps us. Millions is people call it their believe our even their religion. I don’t believe, I imagine. I am curious.
Kind regards,
Ben
“When you are waiting for the unknown your knowledge becomes a barrier, because the more aware you are of your knowledge the more solidly you imprison yourself. You must not be in a “knowing” mood, you must be completely ignorant; only then can the unknown come to you. The moment your ignorance becomes aware of itself, the moment you know that you don’t know, that is the moment you begin to wait for the unknown.” – Osho
Thank you for this, Byomkeshji. 🙂
It is my conclusion that there will always be unknowns, and through deliberate searching and patience, I hope that some of my unknowns eventually reveal themselves to me.
Ultimately where does your question originate? Or any question. As we acknowledge we don’t know, we begin to become aware of all things we don’t know.
Precisely. But what would motivate people to move beyond simply becoming aware of the things they don’t know, to actually knowing the things they don’t know?
Thanks for your response. 🙂
A very good question.
When you say ‘things they don’t know,’ I read that as the origins of life. So can we as humans know our origins? you seem to be asking.
I feel the history of mystics and saints suggests yes, we can know, but this ‘knowing’ is different from how we typically understand the word (as an accumulation of knowledge, information). Several years ago, after discovering discourses by great mystics (Gopi Krishna, several Tibetan yogis, Sadhguru), something flipped in me: I felt it was possible for me to know, whereas before I did not.
If deep knowing is felt possible, and along with this is deep curiosity, who wouldn’t strive for this kind of encounter?
I don’t know how to know what I don’t know or am not aware of, especially if there is not a way to point to it; how do you “point” to things about experience through astute use of suggestive language, or some other way?
I have a question about the topic of cast, cause there is lots I don’t know about that, and while I have tried to look for some answers, I haven’t been able to find anything related to my inquiry.
It was great hearing your news coverage on the radio on caste system. I would like to share a book you might like”Dr B R Ambedkar: The Messiah of the Downtrodden”
Thanks for the recommendation, and for listening!
I begins with an open mind. Those who are certain of everything are certainly ignorant of what they don’t know. An open mind gives you an inkling of what needs to be investigated, then it is a matter of taking action in choosing what to find out.
I try to accept the not knowing, and instead be satisfied with exploring. Like feeling around on in the dark, what begins feeling unknown eventually takes form in one’s mind.
I like the Zen concept of the Beginner’s Mind. This applies not only to what we truly don’t know, but also to what we may know, or think we know more than we really do. It is an attitude of being present and open to all possibility. It is the opposite of the hubris of the Dunning-Kruger effect where the fact that we don’t know, and refuse to acknowledge or even understand we don’t know, is the product of our own cavernous ignorance. So to know that we don’t know, with a Beginner’s Mind, is to approach every encounter with the unknown with self-compassion, ultimate self-awareness and humility, moment by moment.
I love the way you phrased this. Thank you 🙂