They say to write about what you know about – since I know nothing that makes things a tad difficult.
Actually that gives me a chance to put in a quote I heard someone attribute to Carl Jung –
“I know nothing – that’s why I have to listen.”
That not-knowing attitude can get you a long way. Being curious about people, places, things – how wonderful the world can be.
What a gift to live with that childlike curiosity. The humility to say I don’t know – I don’t know you – I don’t know why we are put on this earth – I don’t know why a lot of things happen. But with your help we just might find something that enlightens both of us.
I noticed a quote somewhere that says, “I know what I need to know.”
I read that and think - you might want to rethink your goals – it’s a big world out there, with lots of things going on, lot’s of people, places and things that you can’t know, because you won’t be here long enough to see and learn about them. But if you’ve really already decided you know what you need to know – it seems to me like the game is over. Sorry about that. I’ll stick with the - I know nothing point of view, thank you very much.
There’s a dichotomy in that “not knowing” mindset. We might think not-knowing is a sign of lack of confidence. I propose it’s a sign of confidence.
When we lack confidence in ourselves we try to appear all-knowing, wise (or at least not stupid), or we play a game of questioning/not-knowing – to show others how smart we are by asking hard, maybe unanswerable, maybe out of the blue – questions. Not a basic – why is this the way it is, how does this work, or how are you – let’s learn something together - type of question, but rather a question like – how much does the local utility charge per kilowatt hour of electricity and what does the Revised Code of Washington Part 99 subpart 3 section 4.351 have to say about that?
Digging a little deeper than the “it takes confidence to cultivate an open mind” idea, it’s fairly obvious that I’m playing a little game too – by providing my answer I am saying I know.
But I really don’t. I’m just guessing. Writing what I think to be true.
The world is what we are. If we are happy, upbeat, light hearted, kind – then that’s the world. If the world is an evil, scary, out-to-get-us place – then that’s the world. Certainly we will be shocked into finding out occasionally that our made-up world is not the real world, but we might as well do our best to make our world a happy place. It’s a lot better to be happy most of the time and occasionally be shocked by evil, sadness, bad things than to live in a world of sadness, negativity or fear and occasionally be shocked into finding out there is joy, peace and love around us.
I am interested in the idea that we can write about what we know and not know much. This is an example from the world of photography -
I was looking at photographs on Flickr last night saw a wonderful picture someone had taken of a bunch of flowers laying on an old wood table. It was very simple and taken with a simple camera (a Polaroid no-less). But it was a great shot. Sometimes it’s not traveling far or having the best tools – it’s just a matter of seeing what’s right in front of us everyday.
There's a correlated thought in the movie "Smoke" where Auggie, played by Harvey Keitel, takes a picture of the same street corner in Brooklyn at the same time of day...over and over and over, for 14 years. It's a metaphor for our lives...I think. We do the same things every day but if we look close we see things are not really the same at all. The light has changed, the people are different, the mood, the feel...different. Auggie is looking closely at the pictures with a writer Paul Benjamin (played by William Hurt) who has lost his passion for writing after his young wife died. In a total random event - Paul spots his wife, filled with joy - going about a normal day, in one of Auggie's pictures and he begins to weep.
There’s so much skill? Art? Sense of design? In knowing what can be beautiful. Sometimes the most simple things. Very sparse things…the spaces in between. The contrasts.
When we truly listen – we use our eyes, our ears, our minds and our hearts – we begin again, each day new.
A world of possibilities greets us. Sometimes it's just a matter of looking close, slowing down, and pausing to be thankful.
