Wisdom Quote: Into The Unknown

Man can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown.
--Claude Bernard

The known, no matter how vast, is finite. There is a limit to what any of us can know. The unknown, on the other hand, is potentially infinite. None of us can ever "know it all", regardless of how wise or experienced we are. Therefore the "known" will always be a smaller category than the the "unknown." The source of all learning derives from the unknown.

Why are we so committed to sticking to what we know? One answer lies in the old parable of the man looking for a lost jewel under a lamp post and after searching with his friends all night he says "maybe it's time to look in the dark field where I lost it." When asked by his angry friends why they hadn't been looking there all along he replied, "because the light is better over here." We often don't want to leave the comfort of what we already know to search for the real jewel.

As a therapist I have spent years learning how to travel into the unknown with my clients to come back with a pearl that is useful in their journey toward greater satisfaction and meaning in life. I used to fear the times when I didn't know what was going to happen next in session or when I didn't know exactly what to do. Now, when those moments occur, I take a conscious breath, calm myself and venture with my clients into new emotional depths that often neither of us finds familiar. I have learned that as long as I stay connected with both my feelings and the relationship with my client, all is invariably well and we are both wiser for the journey.

There's an old saying that "them that know know that they know, but them that don't know don't know they don't know." (You may have to read that two or three times to get it.) But there is a third category where lots of great prizes can be found, and it's reserved for "them that know they don't know". It's OK not to know some things, because knowledge isn't always going to scratch the itch that's driving you crazy. There's a phrase in the recovery community that "understanding is optional; acceptance is mandatory."

A great deal of the world is not about to let itself be easily known. It is, and should remain, mysterious. Einstein said "the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious." Likewise, Francis de Chauterbriand wrote that "there is nothing beautiful or sweet or great in life that is not mysterious." If this is confounding then you are on a good path. Heed the sage advice of the 6th century poet Rumi to "sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment." It's a transaction that will ultimately make you richer.

In all of these deep matters, temper your meditations and discoveries with the counsel and comfort of trusted guides who can help you make the most of your travels and travails. Remember "you alone can go through it, but you don't have to go through it alone."