What I Don't Know

Things I Don’t Know:

1)    I Don’t Know Why People Do the Things They Do.  I can observe people’s actions and behaviors, but I can only guess at why they act the way they do.  I make a grave error when I assume somebody’s motives and reasons based on how their behavior affects me or others around them.  I may assume malice or affection when they haven’t felt either.  Even if they tell me their reasons, I may only get half the story as people are complicated and may have multiple, even conflicting, reasons behind their choices.  The lesson?  It is a dangerous self deception to categorize or stereotype others based solely on their observed behavior or choices.   Deal with the behavior and actions without assuming the motives.  I should explain the consequences of others’ actions and negotiate a change in behavior rather than try and change what I might think are the other person’s ideas or assumptions.

2)    I Can’t Speak for God.  Whether you believe in God, providential fate, or just the random chance of life, I don’t know the mind of the universe.  I can’t define for you the ultimate truth.  I can’t tell you who God loves or hates (although I hope he doesn’t hate) or why he allows or causes certain things.  I can tell you what I believe based on my own experience and thoughts, but I can’t extend that out to apply to all humanity as the one and ultimate truth.  Nor do I feel comfortable in telling most that their beliefs are deluded, evil, or just wrong.  I can only say what I believe and how I might feel different from them and allow them to accept or reject it as they choose.  The lesson is that I’m slow to accept the ultimate truth as presented by others without first gaining a testimony of those truths through my own experience and rumination.  Even then, I can only adopt it as what I now believe and not assume everybody will or should believe the same.

3)    I Don’t Know History:  I consider myself an amateur historian, but I also recognize that most of what I’ve learned about history is from what somebody else wrote, and often that was written based on what still others may have presented earlier--resulting in opinions and perceptions based on opinions and perceptions.  History is written by historians and few, if any of them present an unbiased view.  And, the farther we go back in time, the fewer are the verifiable facts from which to draw assumptions.  Hence, we are left to try and draw conclusions from incomplete information often handed down from biased sources.  The lesson?  Take all historical “facts” with a large grain of salt.  It’s always a valid question to ask, “how do we really know that?”  And on a related note. . .

4)    I Don’t Know Reality:  My limited understanding of quantum physics is that scientists have shown that the very act of observing a thing, changes the thing.  Further, objects and situations can appear vastly different depending on the focus and perception of the viewer.  Hence, it seems that our limited mortal viewpoint makes it impossible to have a conclusive perception of reality.  Rather, all I have is my perception of reality as I see it--which is likely skewed and incomplete at best.  I have told others that I don’t think anybody has a right to an opinion until they can understand and argue the facts from at least three different and opposing perceptions.  Even then, I realize a true reality may be vastly different still.  The lesson is to recognize and accept that how we see our reality is a child of our perception and not our perceptions being the children of any fully discernible reality.

5)    I Don’t Know that I’m Right:  I can know my opinion and preferences.  I can know what I think is best, at least for me.  I can express and explain my perception.  But, I can never know with complete certainty that I’m right.  Why?  To be absolutely sure that I’m right, I would need to meet a few impossible criteria.  One, I would need to have a complete understanding of the situation from all the different perspectives.  I would need to understand the thoughts, motivations, and intentions of all the other people involved.  I would need to feel comfortable that my own intentions and perceptions were all motivated by the greater good for all involved, including individuals, other life forms affected, and the environment.  If you can find somebody who is able to say they meet all those criteria, then they can say they are right--but they are also deluded.  Lesson?  Humility and a willingness to always entertain the possibility of more information and a better understanding--leading to the possibility you may NOT be totally right.
6)  I Don’t Know Jack:  Bottom line is that I don’t know Jack.  Like all of you I am muddling my way through life based on too little information and not enough understanding.  I’m just trying to do the best I can with what I got--and often I mess up.  My only hope is that if I’m trying to do little harm and occasionally some good, that whatever fate comes next in the eternities it will take that into account and not dump me in some proverbial lake of fire and brimstone.  Good luck out there in your own journey towards knowing what you don’t know.