if you want to know – start by not knowing.
Too much discussion, argument, frustration, and fight occur because of our opinions, beliefs, ignorance, and prejudice. How can we discern the truth—what truly ‘is’? It’s very hard, but we can! We can do it through what Keats called our ‘negative capability’ and Heidegger referred to as an ‘opening’ or ‘unconcealment.’ Jean Klein says, “The threshold of truth is the absence of calculation, the not knowing state.” Only when we’re open to possibility, creativity, and mystery can we begin to know. Practice this not knowing in incremental ways: When you meet an old friend or colleague, regard them as though you are meeting for the first time. If an idea is presented, consider it as though you’ve never thought of it before. Look at a tree or a stream as though you’ve never seen anything like it and don’t even know what it is. What are those sounds in the forest penetrating your soul? Let them do their magic without preconception and you may discover you understand the language of birds.