Knowledge
I read on Donald Miller’s website (www.donaldmillerwords.com) few weeks ago some wise words on our desire to know things. I keep wanting to read them, but they are gone from his site, and I keep losing digitally misplacing them. They have been a blessing to my soul.
I’ve been thinking lately about how much freedom there is in not knowing things. I’m not talking so much about politics or current events, as much as I am talking about that subtle lie we sometimes believe that “other people are experiencing things” that we are missing out on. In the sacred text of scripture, the evil one tempts a man and a woman with knowledge. “If you only knew” he says, “then you would understand.” The appeal is to this other exciting existence that is out there that we have yet to tap into. That other existence, it turned out, was a farce. And yet I find myslef feeling, quite often, that somehow I am missing out on the pleasures the world offers, and a competitive, catch-up spirit overtakes me. But lately I am finding more pleasure in life’s subtle offerings. A sunset seems to be beating a party (nothing against parties) or a book beats a movie. Wanderlust can have its benefits because it motivates us to see more and experience more, but as with cheesy infomercials, a product that promises much, that makes us feel like we are missing out on something, often results in cheap crap collecting in our closets.
> For me, the spiritual life has been an acquired taste. I would like classical music so much more if I didn’t know about the new (insert band name here) album. I would like tea more if I didn’t know about Red Bull. But at the end of the day, I find myself tired and stressed. I think I want to slow down a bit, understand the grass is not always greener, and find joy in the mental spaces that come with a bit more work. Acquisition is not always the source of power. The people I admire the most are often the people who show the greatest resistance to the pressures of the info-mercial promises. I think there is something to be said for having “gotten over it.”
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