Themes: Spirituality
Status: 🌱
Tags: parchment
Note
Humans have always wanted answers to the great mysteries of life. Our brains are hardwired to find patterns and make predictions. When something is known, it is predictable and increases our chance of survival. This trait has served us well, however, it is also subject to finding patterns where there are none. The desire for answers will sooner rely upon assumption and belief than admit that something is genuinely foreign. It will do away with life’s most challenging questions all to return to the seductive comfort of the “known”.
Religions have provided this sense of comfort for centuries. Metaphysical claims, arguing that they have the answers to the unknowable questions cushion our experience. We surround ourselves with certainty to avoid the existential struggle of not knowing. However, I’d argue that there is also peace to be found in the mystery, sanctity in the unknown; for one who holds space for the mystery finds themselves in alignment with the truth.
To not know is the beginning of science. To ask the question rather than always feeling obliged to provide an answer is the key to a mature orientation towards life. It fosters a sense of intimacy with what is and opens us up to the possibility of learning. Without accepting the limitations of our knowledge, we could never learn about one another, never test our understanding of reality against reality itself. Bias would cloud everything we did, falsehood would creep among the shadows disguised in a cloak of light. Maturing, as I see it, is learning how to ask questions in such a way that the universe has space to answer, and if the universe is unable to, being comfortable in the unknown.
Wells of Inspiration
“We are in a culture that is allergic to questions. We like people who know all the answers.”
“How quickly can I run up to the edge of the unknown and dive off”