What Do You Know?
"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom."
— Lao Tzu
Dear Friends,
Recently, I’ve been noticing how strong the urge is to know.
In conversation, if I know something I think another person does not, I often jump in and say, “Well, actually…”
Some part of me is thrilled to know something the other person doesn’t. Weird.
And beyond conversation, there is the endless pull toward more information — from asking AI, to checking the news, email, social media, etc.
Some of this is useful, of course, but recently I’ve been asking myself:
Why do I feel such a need to know?
The Drive to Know
Our world increasingly rewards constant knowing. AI offers this, in spades.
And our phones with their pings, alerts, and notifications whisper all day long:
“You should know this now. This is VERY important.”
But something can quietly disappear when we are always reaching for more information.
Spaciousness. Ease. Being.
The Loss and the Gain
Knowledge is important, of course.
But if constant information pulls us away from ourselves, from presence, from the simple act of Being, the loss may ultimately be greater than the gain.
More information in the outer generally does not create a deeper sense of ease and well-being in the inner. This, as I see it, is our work.
May your day be rich in learning and knowledge … and even richer in Being.
May both knowing and not knowing be equally welcome.
In the end, our Being may matter more than our Knowing.
Please join us virtually for the Wisdom & AI Summit this week. Info below.
Blessings,
SOREN
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