So what do I know for sure?
Not a whole hell of a lot.
I've gathered a few main bits along the way that have become apparent to me as I have traveled these past decades. If you are looking for profound answers to life's tough questions, I'm not sure I have them for you. I barely have answers for me, and often question even the answers I think I have.
Perhaps I should have stated that at the beginning, and saved you some time!
If you do find some answers for yourself in what I've shared, then I'll consider that a bonus. I know I've gained useful tools and techniques from reading the experiences of others and being exposed to how they have followed their path. I figured it was time I threw my own hat in the ring in the hopes I could do the same for another person. We really can't imagine the sheer scope of all the knowledge available in this world of ours, with more of the mystery being revealed every day. The more we share the more we know.
There are only three main things I have come to know for sure and they are:
1. I can't drink or use mood-altering chemicals safely.
2. I can't do this alone.
3. There is a power greater than both me and us.
If you have trouble with the last one, just consider that the forces of nature dwarf our capabilities and are far beyond our control. That is a power greater than us all right there. Otherwise, that is pretty much all I really know for sure and probably some of that may be wrong for all I know (a little play on words there).
But there is a difference between what I know and what I've learned; though both are somewhat clouded by the limits of my own perception. In my understanding, learning is an experiential process and can literally happen whenever you're open. One of the keys to learning is to not already believe you know. That only puts a cap on that area or knowledge assuring you will learn nothing more.
Learning is an ongoing process and I have found in my life that I have actually had to unlearn many things which have been proven untrue after time. For instance, I always used to think of myself as an independant person. But I realized after some time that if I'm not able to handle my issues alone, then I have to question how much of an individual I really am. When I was younger, I used to think I was invicible and never considered the fact that I would die. Now I'm in my later years and I understand that it is inevitable. I knew it when I was younger as well, but like all of us it was such a distant concern it was almost unreal. As I like to say now, none of us are getting out of this alive. Come to think of it, I guess that is another known.
4. We all die.
There are so many things we think we know and yet so many more things we don't even comprehend. Very few of us seem to walk around with any kind of awareness of this fact. Instead, we confidently go through life happily making major decisions based on our presumptions of both ourselves and the world. This is just another way of learning of course, a less conscious way, as life will invariably ignore our presumptions and give us a nice dose of reality every time.
Think back in your life to some of the things you believed true that turned out to be false. If you're a human being capable of reading this, I'm sure you can already think of something as very few of us ever thought we'd figure out all those letters! If that's the truth, that many of our beliefs end up not being correct, doesn't it make good sense to question what you now believe to be true?
I don't necessarily mean you should start questioning all the things that are good in your life, although those are good to look at from time to time as well. Instead, perhaps begin to look more closely at the things that are troubling you in your life that may need to be re-examined in order to check their validity. This is something I try to do whenever I'm troubled by something which, at this stage of my life, thankfully isn't a lot. I am willing to admit, however, that I should probably examine this untroubled state as well so that I don't run the risk of becoming apathetic.
