I Know I Don’t Know

Aww Man! I stepped in Something!

Life is confusing in a big way.

And its not getting any simpler or easier to figure out.

We stumble through each day not knowing that we’re stumbling or mumbling or maybe even grumbling. We’re on autopilot and its no wonder that more of us aren’t killed while we meander through our busy and complicated lives.

Me, I need to have mental models of reality in order to address the tons of information and loads of decisions we have to make today.

My guidelines for processing reality are really very simple. Especially if you allow me to utilize a metaphor of a clearing in the forest:

• Awareness is the turf we claimed from a clearing in the woods with the surrounding forest representing the vast unknown.
• Progressing from the center of our village park to the meadow’s outer reaches requires a series of “moves” and folks can get to the edge of knowledge when or as they are “moved” to.

Knowing the Unknowable

Developing a better understanding of our limited ability to comprehend reality is imperative to the maintenance of our dwindling trail spotting skills and food finding talents.

Somewhere along our trek to NOW HERE we’ve gotten sidetracked by shiny trinkets and forgotten much of what is important to know about the larger game of existence.

That’s why being aware of the knowledge clearing I described above is crucial.

Through this simple metaphor we can see that it is perfectly fine for some folks to live on the perimeter of the hamlet while others decide to reside closer to the middle. There’s no “right” spot for anyone, just Locations in the Large that attract each villager.

What saddens me is that some people won’t travel to even visit the edge of our little area to gaze past the trees into the forest so they might experience the incredible contradiction between confined and free or depth and distance. Unfortunately for most,  they’ll never recognize the fact that the sweet juice of life is contained within experiencing its awesome contrasts to our best ability.

To do whatever each of us can do.

Four Ring Circus

Before all I could smell was peed pants!

Before anyone can approach the edge of understanding they must recognize four linear neighborhoods in our quaint knowledge town and each is open to all who desire to live there.

A larger concern than moving day for residents of our little community is the extreme unlikelihood that they will ever stumble upon the fact that these distinct areas exist. And while nobody stops anybody from shaking or moving here its an unfortunate truth that the majority of good citizens suffer an extremely limited itinerary.

Okay, here are the Hoods we’ll be cruising so brush up on your hand signals:

The First Place – I don’t know I don’t know: everybody has to live here first and the too smart crowd will call this home forever.

Second Place – I know I don’t know: Quite a bunch of folks set up camp in this area and its less crowded than the first place. Stupider people here though.

Third Place – I don’t know I know: A self select few hang their hats in these wagons but breaking trail on the lone prairies ain’t all its cracked up to be, either. Lots of eating crow, swatting mosquitoes and wondering what they got themselves into. So wise in some ways and fairly well retarded in others.

Home – I know I know: These hardy citizens have befriended the natives and are peering hard into the forest, looking for more clearing.

They see good, hear better and can translate the noise of a tree falling in the forest because they’re there when it happens. Most of these people have no idea where they are and would love for someone to follow them. We should.

Get a Move On

Whether they are aware of it or not, each clearing inhabitant experiences life through their personal level of “knowing”. A religious leader may know tons about theology and little about relationships. A big business buffoon may understand everything about commerce and nothing about his children.

And if they’re like most of us, they will be beating themselves up about their lack of knowing because they don’t understand the neighborhood.

Now is a good time to be waking up because more and more folks from Home are wandering through the village and if we listen to them we can see beyond the forest to ourselves.

Before you know it we’re living life on the edge of our existence seats.

And looking way, waay beyond the trees.

Thank you, friend.

Barry out.

PS. See if you don’t agree with Fred that we all got our row to hoe. Thank you Polar.