I don't know
I have heard this phrase countless times with always a sense of frustration, yet I myself use it often. When I ask someone a question and their response is " I don't know" it aggravates me. So I analyzed why am I irritated or frustrated or even perturbed by it. Perhaps it is more that I was indecisive in that area of question and so I was handing over my power to make my decision over to someone else, and when they could not give me direction, I was feeling unsettled. Yet " I don't know" is very grounding. It take a lot to hold the ego at bay to shrug your shoulders and repeat these words. It takes a lot to hold back the shame to admit " I don't know." The ego wants us to give an answer that may not be true as ego always want to be right and be first to respond and be in a state of pride, yet the shame does not want to give the answer that may be true due to lack of confidence, or courage. Both play important roles in keeping our conversations flowing and our minds in motion.
Yet when we say " I don't know" a genuine state of balance emerges. Neither ego nor shame have a say. One might say with confirmation " I don't know" where this is a genuine lack of knowledge. Perhaps. Yet to admit it, takes confidence to be correct ( ego and shame together in harmonic balance). It is powerfully humbling to make this statement of " I don't know" as it centers and re-equilibrates the mind with the heart to allow a more focused and true response later on. It is the pause between decisions and the connection between the beginning and the end of a conversation or idea.
Never be too proud to admit " I don't know" and never be too ashamed to state " I don't know." In the end these four little words can stave off a bad decision if you are inclined like me to open my mouth first and later check what came out !!
Where do we go from here? Honestly, I don't know.
........................
I love you (of that I am certain)
I have heard this phrase countless times with always a sense of frustration, yet I myself use it often. When I ask someone a question and their response is " I don't know" it aggravates me. So I analyzed why am I irritated or frustrated or even perturbed by it. Perhaps it is more that I was indecisive in that area of question and so I was handing over my power to make my decision over to someone else, and when they could not give me direction, I was feeling unsettled. Yet " I don't know" is very grounding. It take a lot to hold the ego at bay to shrug your shoulders and repeat these words. It takes a lot to hold back the shame to admit " I don't know." The ego wants us to give an answer that may not be true as ego always want to be right and be first to respond and be in a state of pride, yet the shame does not want to give the answer that may be true due to lack of confidence, or courage. Both play important roles in keeping our conversations flowing and our minds in motion.
Yet when we say " I don't know" a genuine state of balance emerges. Neither ego nor shame have a say. One might say with confirmation " I don't know" where this is a genuine lack of knowledge. Perhaps. Yet to admit it, takes confidence to be correct ( ego and shame together in harmonic balance). It is powerfully humbling to make this statement of " I don't know" as it centers and re-equilibrates the mind with the heart to allow a more focused and true response later on. It is the pause between decisions and the connection between the beginning and the end of a conversation or idea.
Never be too proud to admit " I don't know" and never be too ashamed to state " I don't know." In the end these four little words can stave off a bad decision if you are inclined like me to open my mouth first and later check what came out !!
Where do we go from here? Honestly, I don't know.
........................
I love you (of that I am certain)
