Saturday, September 19, 2009

What's beyond knowing?

I've always been curious. I don't know what made me that way, I just know that since I learned to read at age 3, I've had an insatiable appetite for information.

But what I'm finally starting to realize is that it's not the information (in form) that fills that appetite anymore - it's inspiration (in spirit).

I used to believe that there would be just one more article, one more book, one more blog that I could read to get the information that would stop the curiosity - fill the hole that I seemed to have inside of me. I wanted desperately to connect with others, but I think somewhere deep down what I really wanted was validation for my questioning nature.

Asking better questions gives us better answers. I think we all can agree that is true. "How are you?" is a question, sure, but the answers we get when we ask that question in passing are about as revealing as a bundled up kid in a North Dakota winter.

One of my "aha moments" around my questioning was when I realized that I've always searched for answers outside myself to determine who I really am. If I can find something that resonates with what I believe about myself from someone with more authority, I can get validation from that source to back me up without revealing too much about myself specifically. If someone else has thought something I think, then I can't be too strange or odd.

But Helen Keller said "What I am looking for is not 'out there,' it is in me."

So, if I know that, I mean really KNOW that, does that change the questions I ask? What does it mean to KNOW something? This blog's title implies that you do know more than you think (and maybe the way that statement itself is worded opens up possibilities in dialogue). But if I really KNOW things, then I wouldn't have to ask questions anymore. And I wouldn't feel the need to defend a position. And I wouldn't feel the need to prove a point or debate a position or need to be right. In essence, if I really KNOW things, I would have peace.

Hmmm.

So the fact that I continue to blog - and ask questions - tells the world that I haven't really found peace and I don't really KNOW anything.




Yet.

6 Comments:

At 3:58 AM, Anonymous HR Personnel said...

When you ask a question, it means your interested to learn something new. I understand what your going through. In due time, you will be full of answers and you will not ask questions anymore. Just give it a time to learn. That's what I did.

 
At 6:13 AM, Blogger Jodee Bock said...

Thanks, HR. I'm getting there!

 
At 12:11 PM, Anonymous Jan said...

Same with me I have lot of questions too but sometimes getting the answer will not satisfy me. I learn a lot from your post. Thank you for sharing.

 
At 8:15 PM, Blogger Jodee Bock said...

You're welcome, Jan - thank you for visiting!

 
At 8:24 PM, Blogger vee harris said...

I feel you can never know enough and therefore you will continue to ask questions. I think if you stop asking questions you stop learning.

 
At 3:32 PM, Blogger Jodee Bock said...

Thanks, Verna - I agree. I just hope there comes a point where all the questioning stops and the knowing takes over (but hopefully that will be many years from now when my work here is done. I'm not ready for that yet!):)

 

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