Saying, "I don't know."

“If you destroy ‘I do not know,’ you destroy all possibilities of knowing.” Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

Thinking we know it all leaves us with no reason, nor inspiration, to learn. In other words, certainty is the enemy of knowledge.

Is “the devil made me do it” a credible explanation for one’s behavior? It is for some people. Just as, “God wants me to run for the Presidency,” is a credible explanation for others. Perhaps the ones that believe God talks to them are also the ones that believe the devil makes them do things they don’t really want to do.

We have been taught that the idea of having the correct answer, even if its from a supernatural source, is a good thing and saying “I don’t know” is inadequate and embarrassing, especially if you’re supposed to be a leader. How often do you say to yourself, “I should know that!”? It’s very stressful to have to have the correct answer, as if there was a ‘correct’ answer, all the time.

Fear of embarrassment for not knowing, being stupid or inadequate, causes people to limit their lives to only those things in which they feel safe and knowledgeable. Many do not pursue their dreams and ideals, such as contributing to a world that works for everyone and everything, because they are don’t know how to proceed. Many feel like victims, believing that everyone else knows but them. Feeling stupid and inadequate, they become angry, blameful and act from a place that seeks revenge and punishment. They seek to dumb everything down and they become anti-intellectual and anti-science.

Saying, “I don’t know,” is the reason for science and intellectual endeavor. Saying, “I don’t know,” leads to contemplating the great mystery of life and remembering our connection to spirit, which does know. Saying, “I don’t know,” helps us get our bloated nothingness out of the way of the divine circuits. Saying, “I don’t know,” enables us to think of our lives and the world as a learning laboratory, in which we experiment in order to discover and rediscover our reality as spirit, and spirit’s reflection in and around us. Saying, “I don’t know,” opens us to wonder, curiosity, inspiration and discovery.

Why do objects appear solid when the atoms they are made of are mostly empty space? How do driveway weeds thrive when other plants are withering in the heat? What is the “chemistry” of falling in love? Why are babies so cute and teenager so challenging? How does the tiny acorn become a mighty oak tree?

Delight in the great mystery. Live as if you were born into a learning laboratory. Use your innate curiosity to explore, learn, and awaken the memory of your connection to Source. Use, “I don’t know,” as an inspiration to be bigger, better, more compassionate, freer and more joyful.