I'm feeling overwhelmed by how little I know

[Someone here]

 This is a follow up of my thread here

 the realization of how little I knew hit me like a wall when I started my first year of college. I was so clueless about so much.. and the realization of how much there was to learn flooded into my mind and made me feel so small and insignificant.

But this realization was also, honestly, thrilling. I had a seemingly unlimited amount of awesome shit I could learn and so much of it was fascinating. 

Of course, I could never dream of learning anything more than a fraction of the knowledge that exists.. but still, a lifetime of learning was something I realized could happen and I was excited. 

But now I feel that there is a huge gap of not knowing compared to the the stuff I know. 

It seems impossible to figure out just even the basic things in life like your choices of career, life purpose, marriage etc.. 

So how can I fill that gap of not knowing (let's just call it that)…? 

[Devin]

7 minutes ago, Someone here said:

 This is a follow up of my thread here

 the realization of how little I knew hit me like a wall when I started my first year of college. I was so clueless about so much.. and the realization of how much there was to learn flooded into my mind and made me feel so small and insignificant.

But this realization was also, honestly, thrilling. I had a seemingly unlimited amount of awesome shit I could learn and so much of it was fascinating. 

Of course, I could never dream of learning anything more than a fraction of the knowledge that exists.. but still, a lifetime of learning was something I realized could happen and I was excited. 

But now I feel that there is a huge gap of not knowing compared to the the stuff I know. 

It seems impossible to figure out just even the basic things in life like your choices of career, life purpose, marriage etc.. 

So how can I fill that gap of not knowing (let's just call it that)…? 

It's not impossible just work at it, following maslow's hierarchy in order and not skipping ahead seems to be the fastest way, if you skip ahead you tend to spin your wheels at the level 'you're not ready for'.

Prioritize, cut out bullshit, introspect, quit pursuits when you later see them holding you back.

Edited February 19, 2023 by Devin

[Someone here]

7 minutes ago, Devin said:

It's not impossible just work at it, following maslow's hierarchy in order and not skipping ahead seems to be the fastest way, if you skip ahead you tend to spin your wheels at the level 'you're not ready for'.

Prioritize, cut out bullshit, introspect, quit pursuits when you later see them holding you back.

Maslow's model is certainly accurate, but it has always seemed self-evident to me. I never understood what the big deal was about it. Isn't it obvious that most people worry about having enough food before they worry about whether other people like them?

[Osaid]

How do you know that you should feel overwhelmed? How do you know you shouldn't feel overwhelmed?

Maybe you don't need to know in order to decide what to do. Maybe you should build confidence in deciding without knowing. Maybe that's an actual skill that can be built.

There's always an inescapable trust you have to put into the universe. Trying to forgo this trust creates a lot of resistance, as it isn't aligned with what is true, which is the fact that you don't know. Allowing yourself to trust creates peace, as it aligns you with what is true, which is the fact that you don't know.
 

 

[Someone here]

15 minutes ago, Osaid said:

How do you know that you should feel overwhelmed? How do you know you shouldn't feel overwhelmed?

Maybe you don't need to know in order to decide what to do. Maybe you should build confidence  without knowing. Maybe that's an actual skill that can be built.

There's always an inescapable trust you have to put into the universe. Trying to forgo this trust creates a lot of resistance, as it isn't aligned with what is true, which is the fact that you don't know. Allowing yourself to trust creates peace, as it aligns you with what is true, which is the fact that you don't know.
 

 

Thanks dude. I like your posts. But I have a question.. How do you trust something you don't know? 

You can not trust the universe, unless you are willing to take a leap of faith in that direction. Everything is connected, me, you, other people here, plants, animals, the elements, the weather. It's all a web, kind of like a spider's.

I guess Unless i show myself that i want to take a leap of faith and give in to the unseen, thus then receiving the information I seek, that trust you are suggesting for won't come to me unless I start knowing who am I and what existence is. Which is currently In my mind it seems near impossible. 

[Osaid]

3 hours ago, Someone here said:

How do you trust something you don't know?

You're doing it all the time, subconsciously or consciously. How do you know your house won't collapse tomorrow? How do you know you won't be affected by an earthquake? How do you know a robber wont break into your house? How do you know you won't get struck by lightning when you go outside while it's raining? How do you know you wont wake up tomorrow and suddenly find that you've transformed into a cockroach? You don't plan for these situations, even though you don't know about them. You don't know these things, but you trust or assume these things will not happen, because you intuitively understand that having to know everything first before trusting the universe is an unwinnable and unsustainable game. These are all probably subconscious trusts or assumptions you've made. 

Although, here is the key insight here. If you truly want to practice not-knowing, you should realize that you actually don't know if you should or shouldn't trust something. You don't know if you should or should not be scared of something. But, you default to being fearful and lacking trust, because your ego is exhibiting a bias towards survival, so those mechanisms are kicking in by default. You've already created an expectation when evaluating things you don't know, which is that you should not trust anything until you've fully understood it. Really, if you practice true not-knowing, you shouldn't even engage in this judgement of what to trust and not to trust, since you realize that you don't know if you should do that.

3 hours ago, Someone here said:

that trust you are suggesting for won't come to me unless I start knowing who am I and what existence is.

You don't have any other choice. The trust comes when you realize you have no choice other than to ultimately just trust the universe. The trust doesn't come because you're expecting the universe to make things to go your way. The "trust" in this scenario is literally just surrendering and assimilating yourself with what is already true. What creates "resistance" or "lack of trust" is when you set an expectation which says "I need to know the future" or "I need to know exactly what will happen" or "I need to know exactly how things are". Obviously, these expectations don't coincide with the inherently infinite and mystical nature of the universe, and so you're stuck in resistance. It's an unwinnable game you create for yourself. And when you realize it's unwinnable, that's usually where the acceptance and trust kicks in, because you realize that you're just resisting to no avail.

Edited February 19, 2023 by Osaid

[Someone here]

2 hours ago, Osaid said:

You're doing it all the time, subconsciously or consciously. How do you know your house won't collapse tomorrow? How do you know you won't be affected by an earthquake? How do you know a robber wont into your house? How do you know you won't get struck by lightning when you go outside while it's raining? How do you know you wont wake up tomorrow and suddenly you find that you've transformed into a cockroach? You don't plan for these situations, even though you don't know about them. You don't know these things, but you trust or assume these things will not happen, because you intuitively understand that having to know everything first before trusting the universe is an unwinnable and unsustainable game. These are all probably subconscious trusts or assumptions you've made. 

Although, here is the key insight here. If you truly want to practice not-knowing, you should realize that you actually don't know if you should or shouldn't trust something. You don't know if you should or should not be scared of something. But, you default to being fearful and lacking trust, because your ego is exhibiting a bias towards survival, so those mechanisms are kicking in by default. You've already created an expectation when evaluating things you don't know, which is that you should not trust anything until you've fully understood it. Really, if you practice true not-knowing, you shouldn't even engage in this judgement of what to trust and not to trust, since you realize that you don't know if you should do that.

You don't have any other choice. The trust comes when you realize you have no choice other than to ultimately just trust the universe. The trust doesn't come because you're expecting the universe to make things to go your way. The "trust" in this scenario is literally just surrendering and assimilating yourself with what is already true. What creates "resistance" or "lack of trust" is when you set an expectation which says "I need to know the future" or "I need to know exactly what will happen" or "I need to know exactly how things are". Obviously, these expectations don't coincide with the inherently infinite and mystical nature of the universe, and so you're stuck in resistance. It's an unwinnable game you create for yourself. And when you realize it's unwinnable, that's usually where the acceptance and trust kicks in, because you realize that you're just resisting to no avail.

Very elegant answer. I enjoyed reading this. Thank you. 
Oh of course, you are correct man
trust is absolutely essential to modern living.

I trust that when I phone someone or write to you on this forum ,that magically my words get converted into electrons and bounce around satellites and cables to influence a stranger in some far flung remote corner of the world. In some small way, if you’re reading this, you’ve connected with a guy from the other side of the globe . Isn’t that incredible?

[Osaid]

22 minutes ago, Someone here said:

Very elegant answer. I enjoyed reading this. Thank you. 

Thanks

23 minutes ago, Someone here said:

Isn’t that incredible?

Yep. Modern tech is magic.

[Devin]

4 hours ago, Someone here said:

 Isn't it obvious that most people worry about having enough food before they worry about whether other people like them?

LOL, yes. But for instance most people try to skip 'belonging' for 'esteem' or 'self-actualizing', or they skip health for career, skipping lower aspects seem to make you spin your wheels when you're working on higher ones you're "not ready" for.

[Sincerity]

6 hours ago, Someone here said:

It seems impossible to figure out just even the basic things in life like your choices of career, life purpose, marriage etc.. 

That's what Intuition is for.

"You" don't need to figure anything out. Just notice where Intuition is leading You and do that.

It takes practice and genuine "spiritual work" tho. At first You can't easily distinguish Intuition from thoughts, emotions, fears and all the bullshit. And even when You distinguish it it's too frightening to follow up on it. But it gets easier.

You can surrender so profoundly that Intuition is the sole decision-making force in your life. You just do stuff. Things happen. No effort required. No knowing of "what", "why" and "how" necessary...

...and not even possible. Reality is Incomprehensible (and any "part" of it too) and all You think You "know" is bullshit, basically. Still useful often times though.

It's good You're feeling overwhelmed. Notice it. And SURRENDER to it!

Edited February 19, 2023 by Sincerity

[UnbornTao]

Feeling overwhelmed isn't needed. Just wonder about stuff.

[Thought Art]

 

[Gesundheit2]

@Someone here You don't need to know everything in order to make good decisions in life. Learning about the most common traps and pitfalls should be enough in most areas/cases. For example, you don't need to memorize all the rules for being a modern Indian citizen in order to live in India, but it is absolutely essential that you understand the general guidelines for what is considered a crime under the Indian law so that you don't get into trouble unknowingly (most people understand social norms subconsciously, but that's just one example). A better example would be electricity. You don't need to be an electrician in order to know not to go around touching live wires. You also don't go around popping pills and swallowing them. That's like the bare minimum knowledge that everyone should have. Any added knowledge on top of that is a plus and it will definitely help you, but it is not essential and you can move and play the game of life without it. Perfect understanding of anything is very rare, if at all existent, so be careful not to let that stop you from taking the necessary action/steps in whichever domain(s) in life you might be feeling stuck in. A certain reasonable level of knowledge is generally required about most stuff, which people refer to as common sense. The more informed you are, the more common sense you will have, and the easier you will be able to navigate through life. Generally, I think it's wise to aim to strike a balance between knowing and not-knowing in that we should seek to educate ourselves about the most common/relevant stuff in/to our lives, while neither going into overthinking mode and paralysis by analysis, nor at the same time coming at things without any clue about them at all. A little bit of research is always a good starting point, but the deepest insights and understanding come mostly from direct experience.

Now, it seems you're also inquiring deeper into the nature of knowledge itself on an existential level, which is great! I can feel your love and enthusiasm for learning and understanding. These are probably ones of your highest values in life, so you could benefit from basing and designing your life around them. For example, you could start by making a YouTube channel where you share your insights about certain topics, just for fun. You could pick a niche if you're really serious about a certain topic, you could make reviews of popular books that you have read, you could make general philosophical content about a variety of topics, and so on. The possibilities are endless. You might be lucky as well to publish your own books, but the more modern digital game is probably easier, more profitable, and accessible for more people. You don't necessarily have to write physical books in order to get recognized, even though you can. If you have the content, you can share it through various mediums. You can publish your books and sell them both physically and digitally. And you can also utilize YouTube and other platforms to share yourself and insights with the world. At the end of the day, if you really have the desire and you are persistent, everything is possible.

Anyway, here's a question for you to contemplate and ponder upon: Why is knowledge important (to you)?

Edited February 19, 2023 by Gesundheit2

[WelcometoReality]

@Someone here what do you need to know? You do what you do and learn on the way. ?

[Matthew85]

@Someone here I don't think that is a negative thing. It's something to look forward to. The learning and discovering. That is the game we are playing. We pretend to forget to have the experience of discovery. 

I will also add nothing beats direct experience. We tend to seek answers too often from outside of ourselves. Adopting others perspectives. Seek the answers within yourself and validate them through your own direct experience as often as you can. 

Edited February 19, 2023 by Matthew85

[Someone here]

9 hours ago, Gesundheit2 said:

@Someone here You don't need to know everything in order to make good decisions in life. Learning about the most common traps and pitfalls should be enough in most areas/cases. For example, you don't need to memorize all the rules for being a modern Indian citizen in order to live in India, but it is absolutely essential that you understand the general guidelines for what is considered a crime under the Indian law so that you don't get into trouble unknowingly (most people understand social norms subconsciously, but that's just one example). A better example would be electricity. You don't need to be an electrician in order to know not to go around touching live wires. You also don't go around popping pills and swallowing them. That's like the bare minimum knowledge that everyone should have. Any added knowledge on top of that is a plus and it will definitely help you, but it is not essential and you can move and play the game of life without it. Perfect understanding of anything is very rare, if at all existent, so be careful not to let that stop you from taking the necessary action/steps in whichever domain(s) in life you might be feeling stuck in. A certain reasonable level of knowledge is generally required about most stuff, which people refer to as common sense. The more informed you are, the more common sense you will have, and the easier you will be able to navigate through life. Generally, I think it's wise to aim to strike a balance between knowing and not-knowing in that we should seek to educate ourselves about the most common/relevant stuff in/to our lives, while neither going into overthinking mode and paralysis by analysis, nor at the same time coming at things without any clue about them at all. A little bit of research is always a good starting point, but the deepest insights and understanding come mostly from direct experience.

Now, it seems you're also inquiring deeper into the nature of knowledge itself on an existential level, which is great! I can feel your love and enthusiasm for learning and understanding. These are probably ones of your highest values in life, so you could benefit from basing and designing your life around them. For example, you could start by making a YouTube channel where you share your insights about certain topics, just for fun. You could pick a niche if you're really serious about a certain topic, you could make reviews of popular books that you have read, you could make general philosophical content about a variety of topics, and so on. The possibilities are endless. You might be lucky as well to publish your own books, but the more modern digital game is probably easier, more profitable, and accessible for more people. You don't necessarily have to write physical books in order to get recognized, even though you can. If you have the content, you can share it through various mediums. You can publish your books and sell them both physically and digitally. And you can also utilize YouTube and other platforms to share yourself and insights with the world. At the end of the day, if you really have the desire and you are persistent, everything is possible.

Anyway, here's a question for you to contemplate and ponder upon: Why is knowledge important (to you)?

Thanks for the great response
Well, lemme tell you how I see things and see what you can make of it. 
Throughout my time at school I always assumed the learning in life would stop as soon as I graduate. Learning was for classrooms, life was for freedom. After graduation, it didn’t take me long to realise my assumption was wrong.

Since graduation my learning has only increased, in most cases exponentially. In the 5 years since finishing school I’ve taken two online courses, countless Treehouse lessons to learn how to code and have attended numerous meetups etc
I used to feel like I had to know everything to be good at what I did. However, I've realized two problems. The first is I don't have the slightest idea what anything is (on a ontological level) and the second is that knowing everything means you can’t become an expert in anything. Instead, I should learn whatever it is that I need to help me move from A to B. If I want to improve my communication with my people, I should learn about communication. If I want to improve my skills at writing, I read a book about writing, and so on.
Knowledge is important because if you do not know you can't function. In all fields. Even if we approach It practically.to be successful in your job and to Earn money you have to know how to do your job properly. I think this is obvious and I don't need to elaborate.
BTW I'm already writing a book and I'm getting close to finishing it and I hope I can get a bunch of cash out of it. Doing what I love ad and getting paid for it. Best of both worlds.

[Carl-Richard]

20 hours ago, Someone here said:

 TIt seems impossible to figure out just even the basic things in life like your choices of career, life purpose, marriage etc.. 

So how can I fill that gap of not knowing (let's just call it that)…? 

When it comes to life, you don't have to know what you're doing. Just do something. That is also some of what makes it fun. You discover things along the way. If everything was laid out down to the smallest detail and you were running through it all like a movie script, would you even call it life then?

Edited February 20, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[Gesundheit2]

5 hours ago, Someone here said:

However, I've realized two problems. The first is I don't have the slightest idea what anything is (on a ontological level) and the second is that knowing everything means you can’t become an expert in anything. Instead, I should learn whatever it is that I need to help me move from A to B. If I want to improve my communication with my people, I should learn about communication. If I want to improve my skills at writing, I read a book about writing, and so on.
Knowledge is important because if you do not know you can't function. In all fields. Even if we approach It practically.to be successful in your job and to Earn money you have to know how to do your job properly. I think this is obvious and I don't need to elaborate.
BTW I'm already writing a book and I'm getting close to finishing it and I hope I can get a bunch of cash out of it. Doing what I love ad and getting paid for it. Best of both worlds.

Sounds perfectly reasonable. I especially like the second realization, because it's more practical and I value that. In practical terms, we don't need to know everything. Most people are severely ignorant and undereducated and they still live and reproduce. Most people know how to drive cars, use smartphones, use the washing machine, etc. without knowing the technical details of how any technology works. Sports players almost don't know anything about human anatomy and they utilize their bodies well enough to make a living. Heck! Even scientists and professionals themselves might not know every technical detail of their field of experience. For example, most programmers don't know how computers work on the most hardware level, they just know how to make software, and that's enough for them. I think it works out well to be an expert in one field at least, and to have the openness to learn a little bit about a lot of different stuff. You don't want to be the Wikipedia guy who knows a lot but only in theory, nor the geek who doesn't know anything except his little bubble.

[Someone here]

5 hours ago, Gesundheit2 said:

Sounds perfectly reasonable. I especially like the second realization, because it's more practical and I value that. In practical terms, we don't need to know everything. Most people are severely ignorant and undereducated and they still live and reproduce. Most people know how to drive cars, use smartphones, use the washing machine, etc. without knowing the technical details of how any technology works. Sports players almost don't know anything about human anatomy and they utilize their bodies well enough to make a living. Heck! Even scientists and professionals themselves might not know every technical detail of their field of experience. For example, most programmers don't know how computers work on the most hardware level, they just know how to make software, and that's enough for them. I think it works out well to be an expert in one field at least, and to have the openness to learn a little bit about a lot of different stuff. You don't want to be the Wikipedia guy who knows a lot but only in theory, nor the geek who doesn't know anything except his little bubble.

Absolutely. In fact, no human will ever know everything about a non-trivial subject. Being an expert in one field only requires one to know a significant fraction of what other experts know about the subject, enough so that you are recognized as one of their peers.
If someone claims to be an expert it's a strong signal that they aren't one.

Most experts in any field realise how much more there is to know so refrain from claiming to have expertise. And I've been slapped in the ass and shocked by how little I know as soon as I started studying philosophy in college.
But also I realized that I can bullshit my way to success. I don’t have to be an expert at all. It is only important that other people think I am an expert. Just as long as I can be the one-eyed leading the blind.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it does not.

[Inliytened1]

@Someone here this doesn't change the fact that omniscience is also possible- just not at the level you are thinking.   In fact there is no thinking.   But omniscience will give you a complete understanding of what you are as reality itself- and that is the only thing that matters.