Why you Should Accept that you Know nothing
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing” — Socrates
During ancient times, Socrates was known as the wisest man in Athens because he had the rare capable of admitting his own ignorance.
Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, not a lack of intelligence. This is a neutral definition despite the negative connotation that often goes with it. We often use the word ignorant as an insult. But, ignorance is only a flaw if it is ignored or denied, if you refuse to accept or address a lack of knowledge. Ignorance is not bliss if acquiring more knowledge and acting on it can improve your life, career, relationships, and more.
Ignorance is only a flaw if you ignore or deny it.
Only a fool believes that there is nothing left to know. The wisest individuals believe that there will always be more to discover. What we know is not much compared to what we do not know. We inhabit a wide world and a far bigger universe. We are just beginning to understand it. Our methods of investigation such as science are young, only a few hundred years old. This is next to nothing on cosmic or even geological scales.
Our species is still struggling to uncover and understand fundamental truths surrounding ourselves and the world around us. We do not fully understand the fundamental forces of our universe. We do not even fully understand how our own minds work. We are all seeking truth in some way. I have found life far more enlightening when I attempt to understand more. I become curious, I accept that ignorance is not stupidity.
When we accept how little we know, life becomes an exciting frontier of unknown truth yet to be uncovered, not a claustrophobic container filled with so little knowledge that one man can understand it all.
When you believe there is nothing left to know or nothing to improve upon, boundaries form around your capabilities, the world feels small and the mind begins to close, you fail to seek more as you become content, satisfied until more open-minded individuals surpass you. When we accept that we know nothing, we become determined to find out what we do not know, to embark on a life of endless discovery.
