Knowing Everything About Nothing

Is it possible to know nothing? Or is it more likely to know much that isn’t so? Is uninformed and mistaken the same as unaware and clueless? Does certitude lead to arrogance or perhaps to inner peace? Knowledge is not a firm absolute. At one time intelligent learned people presumed the Earth was flat. At a period in our past no one knew about the atom or the human circulatory system. Knowledge changes….expands….is corrected. It seems to be a geometric process. The more we learn or discover, the faster we find newer subsequent nuggets of knowing. Wisdom, on the other hand, is the understanding and recognition of “what you do NOT know.” Wisdom has the capacity to place knowledge in context. Wisdom does not worship knowledge or information, but uses it as a tool for seeking Truth.

Knowledge can involve the intimate awareness of sophisticated concepts and theorems along with their presumptions and applications. On the other hand knowledge can be defined as a collection of “facts”….some meaningful and others trivial. Some are “true,” and others have yet to be verified. Knowledge expands as we learn more, and as others increase their knowledge and add it to the accumulation of information. One of the ironies of knowledge expansion is that it becomes increasingly more difficult for us to identify worthy or salient knowledge simply because of the sheer volume of available information. Thus we have the paradox of knowing much more but with decreasing confidence in its “true-ness.” In essence “what you know” is less important than “what does it mean?”

As was mentioned earlier, wisdom includes the ability to sift through a vast amount of information or knowledge and applying it for useful purposes. True wisdom also includes a moral component so that not only is knowledge usefully applied but is done so for moral reasons and goals. Wisdom requires discernment. One must sift knowledge for its usefulness, practicality and character. “Knowing” is not enough. A wise person will determine the best method for converting information and knowledge into useful and upright decision-making.

You have probably encountered some leaders in either the private or public sectors who would not make a decision without enough knowledge to assure a 99% certainty. Quite often this type of leader suffers from brain-freeze and inaction because that level of certitude is nearly impossible. On the flip side you may have encountered the type of leader who when the certainty meter crosses 50% surges into action….sometimes with preventable and disastrous outcomes. These two types of leaders are the indecisive and the rash. Each of us responds similarly to them depending upon our comfort level with the available information. Thus, discernment is a critical element for leaders…..and followers because we must discern whom to follow. Discernment or wisdom is greater than knowledge although knowledge is vitally important for its application. Wisdom also includes experience, trust, faith and basic understanding of human nature. Obviously an intelligent person is not always wise, but a wise person is invariably intelligent. The ultimate development of wisdom is faith. Consider that there are legions of highly intelligent people who lack wisdom because they have so little faith.

There are critics who believe faith to be the refuge of the unintelligent and the uninformed. Their assumption arises from their lack of discernment because they confuse faith with blind adherence. True faith is not blind and certainly not mindless. True faith springs from the well of wisdom and is flavored by the additives of knowledge. Knowledge is limited by our individual limitations, but wisdom can discern which knowledge is useful, practical and reasonable. Faith builds on wisdom by adding the moral component. Knowledge will choose the best choice for a given outcome. Wisdom will choose the better choice for a given path. Faith will choose the only moral choice.

Faith and wisdom are concerned with justifications and processes whereas knowledge is driven by results. Therefore it is not incidental or accidental that the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:1 that we are justified by faith. When you harness knowledge, wisdom and faith for moral and courageous purposes, your justification is verified through your faith. Knowledge is data. Wisdom is discernment. Faith is a decision. Choose wisely.

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Serendipitous Serenity

Sometimes we float through our day-to-day lives concentrating on the little things that affect us. Dental appointments, grocery lists and children’s grade cards seem to be the most momentous issues that we face. Oh, there may be a little gnawing discontent about national or worldly matters, but all-in-all, life seems normal…and good. We busily trip along until one day….WHAMMO!... a local school board announces that it must pass a massive levy, the city hikes trash collecting fees by a huge amount, the county announces that they must have more money to meet expenses, and the state admits that the budget will be in deficit even though they are constitutionally required to be balanced. As you stagger through the news of government irresponsibility, you discover that the federal government wants to “borrow” a trillion dollars to “stimulate” the economy. That’s right…credit card spending to get out of the hole. Doesn’t make sense, does it? Meanwhile your next door neighbor loses his job, and your company implements a new austerity program.

You may feel as if you’ve been slapped with an ice-cold washcloth. That little gnawing sense of apprehension blossoms forth into high caliber anxiety. The serenity is gone. You know now that it was false…that you were unaware of the signs of dysfunction around you. The signs were there for some time, but you were immersed in your own lucky little world. Suddenly, your eyes are opened, and you realize that the nation, state and community you love are teetering on fragile legs. They’ve lost their moorings and their principles. The standards by which you’ve navigated your entire life are no longer in play. The rules have changed, and you don’t know where to find a new rulebook.

It is time for you to shed your lethargy. The moment has come for you to transform from an observer into an activist. For one to be unaware and ignorant of the compelling issues that face our communities, our nation and our globe is no longer acceptable. You must either become engaged in the salvation of a civil society, or you will become the dross of the designs of others. Drifting along in a state of ignorant bliss is no longer an acceptable option if you value your liberty and the freedom of those for whom you care. Benign neglect of the national disintegration will lead to the confiscation of your labor and your property. At some point when you finally take note of the geometric growth of government power and its devastating impact, it may be too late to reverse the trend….to stop the erosion of liberty.

Does your new-found vigilance require that you spend your time and limited funds for numerous trips to Washington, D.C. or your state capitol? Perhaps, but not necessarily. Does your awareness require that you march, organize and create new avenues of dissent? Perhaps, but not always. The new knowledge that our nation is out of balance should lead you to passionately share your facts and feelings with those you love. Do your research and master the information. Develop a rudimentary understanding of basic economics. Read, re-read and learn the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Read the Federalist Papers or their summaries, and study synopses of the ratification process. Once you have armed yourself with the historical basis of our republic and its philosophical roots, you can be a forceful advocate at home, at work, in your local organizations and at church. Capitalize on every opportunity to share the message of limited, fiscally restrained government and freedom.

Given the type of person who reads Littlestuff-minoosha, this column is probably the ultimate “preaching to the choir.” Just as any great athlete or musician must continue to practice the basics, so too must patriots continually remind themselves to speak out and speak up. If we drop our guard or look away for a short time, our gains will erode and our energies will be sapped. We must not, we cannot assume that the new regimes in the House of Representatives and our state capitals will pick up our baton and carry the race to the finish line. They are politicians. They do what is most self-serving and expedient. Also, a number of those who are in the majority have been in office for many years and have in the past held the majority with a president from their own party. They governed poorly, irresponsibly and passed toxic legislation that undermined the fiscal integrity of our nation. They implemented legislative action that seriously undercut our personal liberties. Be wary. Be watchful. Your self-imposed session of serenity has ended.

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Epistemology of Liberty

How do we know WHAT we know, and how do we KNOW that we know it? Obviously many nuggets of knowledge are formally learned, and others are experienced. Many of the things we know come from informal learning encounters such as overhearing our parents discuss something. There is another form of knowing or source of knowledge that is difficult to identify and define. Some call it innate knowledge while others describe it as instinctive. Others may describe it as God-given. I’m not discussing the will to survive because I would characterize that as more of a biological impulse that a knowledge-based action. The longing for liberty or the fight for freedom is something that I sense is greater than mere biological necessity, is manifested before formal or experiential learning begins, and yet, at some level, is present in everyone.

In last Saturday’s “Littlestuff Weekender” I linked to a song by the Gaither Vocal Band called “Freedom.” The lyrics in the opening stanza refer to a baby’s struggle to escape the womb as the early evidence of our desire for freedom. Fast forward a year or so and observe how toddlers resist any attempt to restrain their activities. The fact that their formal and experiential knowledge curve hasn’t grown enough for them to identify danger does not inhibit their desires to toddle through life unfettered. To my untrained eye they seem to be asserting that freedom is the ideal…and damn the consequences.

Other examples could include those who move “off the grid,” people who spend their entire lives challenging authority, and that legion of folks who defy convention and silly lawmaking through subtle non-compliance. True, many people do none of the above, but we have no concrete method for determining what ideas float across their minds or roam within their hearts. Again, my amateurish point of view leads me to speculate that much of what we describe as “resentment or envy” reflects an internal desire to be free…or as free as the object of the envy. In our society freedom and significant financial resources are often synonymous. Do prisoners have a greater envy for the rich or for those on the “outside?” Even though a convict may be serving time for attempting to steal money, when facing daily life in the 8x10 cage, the focus of envy shifts toward those who enjoy more freedom.

Other species yearn for freedom. Tigers prowl and pace around the cage seeking to discover an opening. Even chickens, stupid as they are, prefer the open range for digging and scratching versus the tiny space provided in a laying cage. Casual observation should convince the most hardened skeptic that the lust for liberty is not a learned behavior but resides within the mind, heart and soul of all. Yes, some choose to withdraw and never challenge their shackles, but we cannot know the limits of their fantasies and dreams. The thirst for freedom is more than an impulse among people. It is a rational but nearly unquenchable desire to cast off artificial restraints and flourish. We know that liberty is a preferred condition because we KNOW it. We didn’t learn it. We didn’t touch a hot stove and experience it. We’ve always known it. It’s in our DNA…designed by God.

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