What I Know and What that Means

[Ernie Nemeth]

Untold numbers of facts and seemingly certain theories abound in this modern world. We think we know so much that our world view is virtually fixed and unwavering. Yet what we know so much about is only the parts, those vivisection portions of reality devoid of the interrelated connections that give it meaning. Even these portions are only scrutinized if the so called “scientific method” can yield verifiable evidence in support of their existence. This bottle-neck in the areas of study has had the inevitable effect of skewing the world view held by members of society and has had the side effect of blocking valid areas of study from scrutiny.

In today’s intellectual climate it is better to start from the premise that one does not know anything, if one is sincere in their effort to uncover the truth. We think we know, but that is a function of our conditioning not a statement of fact.

Still, is it fair to say I know something? I think not... but I feel so.

I know I exist, for example, even if I cannot prove it satisfactorily to another. I guess that is the rub of it, really: I cannot prove anything I am convinced I know to another. I can’t force others on-board my agenda, even when I am certain it is the truth.

I know I am not this body but that the body is merely a wonderful tool I employ like a sophisticated ride or avatar, the result of which is an essentially existential experience. Whether this identity that drives the bus moves on to other adventures after dropping the body, I do not know.

I know I am aware and am aware of being aware. I call that consciousness. It is great fun to project scenarios of my own creation onto the screen of awareness and play them out as if they were true reality. Or I can use the process of rational thought I have no idea where or how I learned, and employ deductive and inductive reasoning to wrestle an irrefutable fact out of the morass of conflicting data, string it together with other such factoids and call that reality.

I know I have another avenue of experience open to me but it is hard to pin down and remains unreliable: the realm of feeling, intuition and the emotions. This area includes spontaneous: knowing of future events, places and circumstances or solutions to problems, conflicts and impasses or expansion in comprehension or healing of incurable disease and infliction or connections between individuals and so-called higher beings, to name just a few... The emphasis seems to be on the spontaneous, the synchronistic nature of the experience and the state of observing as opposed to any direct voluntary action. Also there is a feeling of eureka! that precedes the actual interpretation and knowledge in concrete form, when for a moment the entire package of information and its ramifications become momentarily precise and clear only to become mostly blurred by the time comprehension arrives.

I know there is a state that exists when this body rests at night that seems markedly different than other states. Often, almost always, I am not aware of the difference until the experience ends. I call that dreaming. It can be fun or it can be downright frightening but dreaming seems to be at times yet another source of knowledge.

These things I know, I am certain about. They are real... to me, at least. I don’t seek to convince you because I can’t... and don’t want to, either.

I know one more thing...

There is a whole lot more to know, with certainty.

So where’s the meaning in all this? What does it mean? Meaning is shared or it does not exist. What is the meaning in anything if only I ascribe it value? What sort of quality must meaning have to be wanted and shared freely?

The meaning, if it has any, I leave to you.

[Ernie Nemeth]

While rereading my post I find it is not really clear what I mean by "to know". I wanted to emphasize what I know with certainty as opposed to "things I have been told or read that I accepted without proper perusal".

Beside the list of five things I know with certainty, there is everything else I think or have decided I know. Those other things require my belief, my faith. Science resides here, and religion. So does any monetary system, govermental body or organization. These things all take faith or a belief "system" to lend them credence so long as they support the structure of the system's premise, whatever that may be. To believe or to have faith is to exclude the superfluous as defined by the boundaries of the said system. For every belief system is finite and limited, again by definition.

But what struck me the most was the one qualifier I used. That I can know something with certainty and not prove it satisfactorily to another. It seems that another is required in order to define the limits of my own knowing. And should another accept my premise then I would have the absolute certainty I require to lay the foundation of a universal truth. I need another, which must mean that another needs me. It seems to point to a sixth thing I know with certainty based on deductive reasoning.

This need is a connection I must share with everyone because everyone needs another to verify their own knowledge.

I think this might mean that I need you all.
More contemplation required.

Hey.
I just stated a meaning.

And that meaning is you.
Take care and may you find your comprehension within your knowledge.

[Fred Steeves]

Ernie my brother, that spark of inner Awareness does not lie, trust it with all you've got, it's your lifeline home. You are obviously "seeing" that, or you would never dare post such a brazen thread. Sometimes we all just need a little confirmation, a little nod so to speak, to reassure us that we are not going crazy, but are actually on the right path, outrageous as it may seem.

Trust yourself...

Cheers Mate, http://www.bigtenfever.com/forums/images/smilies/cheers.gif
Fred