Maybe you are just not ready to see it yet?
Life comes in stages and you may not be ready to see just yet.
Our eyes are holden that we cannot see things that stare us in the face, until the hour arrives when the mind is ripened; then we behold them, and the time when we saw them not is like a dream — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Knowledge at any level opens the door for the next stage of your improvement. Do you think the things you know today that you may have just found in reading or on the news would have helped you the same amount in your 20s? Following Emerson's thought here, some truths may be right in front of your face, but you are not ready for the concept. This idea itself is a thought that I myself may have not grasped. I was at the bar though, I had more important things to do….yeah right. Early ideas like practical life lessons on financial concepts would not be something I would have had the ability or concern to care about back then. Even earlier in school when you did poorly on a test, it was because you didn't understand something, you likely didn’t know what you didn’t understand. Is this making sense? This childhood concept extrapolates out to String Theory.
As we learn and grow in true knowledge in science, philosophy, social science, and history we make ourselves open to new information that we’re not aware of. This concept of not being ready to take in a concept drives me to continue learning. What I believe should be gleaned from this is a sense of optimism about your future and a sense of contentment about your present. We are told life is a journey and this to me is a pure example through academic processes. The individual can’t get excessively attached to the feeling of being unfamiliar with new information, thus viewing themselves in a negative light. Until recently I had forgotten the joy of learning new knowledge. That’s the core of this concept. You are not unintelligent, you are simply not prepared for what will come if you continue to expand. This brings me to another concept in a similar vein.
We live on an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance. — John Archibald Wheeler
Understanding what is on the other side of all our reading and study is important to the humility I feel we should gain on the journey. Knowing more is the realization of knowing less about even more. When I was in high school I felt I learned all that needed to be known. Other than what I need for knowledge to perform my occupation, I knew it all. Obviously looking back was so very wrong. Now I know how you can dive deeper than ever imagined into any subject. It blew my mind, I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit, that life long learning was even a plan. Understand how and where I was raised though. In a rural community, you knew what you needed to do because your father taught you. Now I realize the burden of learning is the weight of ideas I have not discovered yet. These days though as I advance into the later half of my life, wisdom is becoming the priority. I have found solace in this journey. I hope you will too.
What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul. — Joseph Addison
On the way to a more perfected you light will shine upon your brow as Tolstoy or Neil deGrasse Tyson guide you to a path of interconnectedness with humanity. They do this in different ways. The results are the same, you can be better that you are today through knowledge and philosophy. Knowing things is not enough though. What you do with said information is what leads others to follow your example. The Stoics spoke of the Sage, one who knows how to manage any situation. This is a near impossible tier of wisdom. I still implore you to seek it though. Few regret what could make them into the ideal version of themselves.