After Socrates had explained these things to the student, the student nodded and declared, “I see!” Socrates responded, “When I look back on all I have seen, the one thing I see is that I’ve seen nothing.”
While I don’t have the original source on hand, this is basically the scene from whence the title of this blog comes. It loses a little in translation, especially considering the context of Platonic thought in which the only way we can know something is by seeing it as it truly is. (Nothing Socrates might have written has survived, and most of what we know of him comes from the works of Plato.)
As I get older, I find more and more how true it is that I don’t know anything at all, and perhaps I know myself least of all. I don’t trust anybody who thinks they have learned anything by sheer virtue of getting older. I feel sorry for anybody that thinks they have anything figured out, because they are truly missing out on the wonderful mysteries of life waiting to be discovered by anybody bold enough to look for them. I find it frustrating that people generally are not interested in seeking knowledge beyond what they are comfortable with believing. There is nothing more inspiring than challenging our own beliefs and finding how limiting they are.
I am constantly amazed at what can be learned from participating in random life experiences. I never cease to be surprised by my own choices, desires, obsessions and preferences. There are infinite journeys to take and avenues to explore. Don’t just push your boundaries; blow them up! Life is curious. Life is weird. Life is one big question mark. Live it up!
1 comment:
Life is indeed one big question mark... I'd like to turn mine into one giant exclamation point! While, of course, still leaving space for the odd question mark or two...
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