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Not-knowing is true knowledge.
Presuming to know is a disease.
First realize that you are sick;
then you can move toward health.
The Master is her own physician.
She has healed herself of all knowing.
Thus she is truly whole.
71
Tao Te Ching, a New English Version, copyright ©️ 1988 by Stephen Mitchell, published by HarperCollins. All rights reserved.
The truth is, no matter how many philosophers insist that not-knowing is true wisdom, not knowing things is just not sexy. Societies don’t vote for the presidents that admit not knowing what they’re doing, they vote precisely for the ones who can pretend to know more convincingly. We would never go back to a doctor that admits not knowing for sure what disease we have, or to the financial advisor that insists on not really knowing where the markets will go. Knowing stuff works in the “real world”. It puts food on the table. But if you could get inside the mind of that president, doctor, financial advisor and any one of us who pretends to know things you can be sure to find one thing: Suffering.
It may sound a little dark and depressing, but making amends with the (almost) universal presence of suffering is absolutely necesary. For Buddhism, the First Noble Truth is, in fact, the recognition of suffering. We are sick. Now, the good news is you belong to a tribe of 8 billion people that are right there with you; the bad news is not one of them can really help.
The Master is happy to be his own physician. He knows that the approach that works in the outside world, knowing stuff, is precisely what hurts your inner world. He cures himself of what he thinks he knows about the future, the past, others, and himself. He is too smart to be seduced by easy explanations and too humble to assume he has the best answers. For him, not-knowing is home.
Quote of the Week
Nobody understands another's sorrow, and nobody another's joy.
Franz Schubert
Song Picks of the Week (Official TTT Playlist here)
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Thank you for reading!
Until Next Tuesday,
Daniel