Could you openly say that you know nothing?
If anyone follows my posts you will find that I always try to look at the subjects I choose from both a physical, material aspect and also from a mindful, spiritual one.
Since the beginning of time when man began the process of applying mathematical formulas to our existence scientists or mathematicians have advanced from basic arithmetic to quantum mechanics. At every step, we have declared that this is the final answer only to have an individual come along and say, “Ummm, I think that there may be more to it.” Then new formulas are created sometimes leading to whole new fields.
The person who makes the initial calculation says they KNOW what the real answer is and in a way they do but only for a moment in time. Then a newcomer comes along and advances the hypothesis or disproves it entirely starting everyone on a new path of discovery because they KNEW that they were right and were able to change their peer’s views to accept their new concept. In reality, they were also right that they KNEW the answer if only for a brief amount of time. Science is always advancing so that what we think we knew isn’t what we know today.
Plato says in his dialogues that Socrates stated “I know that I know Nothing.” It is further eluded to the fact in another dialogue that the Oracle at Delphi stated “He was the wisest person in Athens.” So here we have one of the wisest persons who helped establish our western civilization proclaiming he doesn’t know anything.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American Transcendentalist poet, philosopher, and essayist, once stated “One must not hold to doctrines held yesterday simply because one held them yesterday.” Simply put be open to changing what you believe in and not be held down because you believed in something else yesterday.
One of the Buddha’s basic tenets was that one should not accept what is put forth to them as a firm truth. Individuals must not stop with what they hear but always keep advancing their knowledge through continuous studies, then take that new knowledge mesh it with what they have already learned, and either use it or discard it.
The problem with saying that you know something is that you close off your mind from learning something knew. Plus anything you put on a pedestal, even beliefs can fall at any time.
When you say you know nothing then a whole new world of possibilities opens up to you, knowledge will come to you in more ways than you can imagine. The universe will bring you thoughts and ideas you never believed possible, you just have to be open to it.
You will not feel insecure when you say you know nothing, in fact, you will feel much more emotionally secure because you have created a root that will always grow because you have created a fertal mind.
Namaste and take care,
P. L. Hogan
Image Credit: Pixabay.com
