Something, Everything, Anything, Nothing March 10, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Poetry, Word Play.Tags: Blowin' in the Wind, Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Poetry, Word Play
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I will never know something about everything
Too many topics
Too little time
An ever growing pile of esoteric knowledge
I will never know everything about anything
No matter how deep I plumb
The surface of the sea
There is always more to discern
But I do know this . . .
Strident generalizations annoy me
Always, never, and all
are best left on the cutting room floor
Tedious details bore me
I don’t care to know a lot about a little
That’s really next to nothing
Facile explanations merely skim the surface
They sound good . . .
But have no more depth than a sheet of paper
Whipping about in the wind
What say you?
I say I need to read this again and think a bit
Thinking is good.
So, I think I was befuddled at finding my shy self the first one here yesterday.
Today I say ” Too many topics Too little time”. But I love the fact that there are so many topics and the chance to introduce myself to so many interesting things in this 60th year of my life.
I agree, Pix. If we are bored . . . we have only to expand our horizons and explore in some other direction. Cheers!
This reminds me of a quote about fooling all of the people all of the time… but of course I forgot it. I don’t know everything about history!
Some of the people some of the time is usually the best I can manage.
I prefer my interactions with some depth myself.
When people make grandiose statements overflowing with gross generalizations, it’s far less convincing than when they acknowledge the existence of the opposition with a least a brief nod.
I will never know as much as I want to know. However, I do know how to find out information I want or need. To me, that’s the most important thing.
I love learning new things. We are so fortunate to have access to so much ready information via the internet. Picking up tidbits of trivia is great . . . listening to people bicker over tedious details makes me yawn.
For example, when two people get to arguing about whether it happened at 6 pm or 7 pm . . . 1 year ago or 2 years ago . . . on a Friday or a Saturday, etc. I lose interest quickly and often want to interupt and ask, “does it really matter”?
All learning is good, some facts are easily dismissed, but I like to know little things about nothing in particular. I am not a master learner by any means, most things I have learned are stored in unopened compartments in my brain. (I may never be able to open these boxes.)
Same here. I like knowing a bit about this, that, and the other thing . . . especially when watching Jeopardy. It’s a rush when I know something, remember that I know it, and retrieve it without undue effort and delay. Yay!
I can relate to the lack of time to read, explore and do … I tend not to speak about a subject if I haven’t spent time getting clarity, so I get in the listening mode.
I am reading and replying from my i-phone while sipping white wine and taking a break from too much doingness.
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Yay, you! Wine time is a great way to unwind from too much “doingness.” Aah . . . that’s better!
I had an unwinding day too ~ my sister came for a chat!
“I will never know something about everything”
Because I know nothing…
When I go in search of one thing on the WWW . . . it makes me realize how many other things are out there waiting to be discovered that I know NOTHING about. It’s unlikely I’ll live long enough to even scratch the surface of most topics.
TMI . . . too much information.
but it’s fun discovering
The joy is in the journey of learning . . . not in reaching the destination of being a Know-It-All!
Every person anything like you knows something about anything and nothing that everyone can’t use at least sometime.
Alright…I couldn’t resist!
I am so glad that you didn’t resist! That’s brilliant, Amy! A real doozy of a tongue twister. Peter Piper better watch out!
I like to think that knowing a little bit about a lot of things is a worthwhile pursuit. That way, I can someday be on Jeopardy! and win a pile of money and then live on an island like you do!
Bwahaha! I just mentioned Jeopardy in responding to Maggie! What a rush to know something and be able to retrieve it in short order. So encouraging when the brain synapses work as intended!
Being an “island girl” is a lovely way/place to be.
I know enough to know that I don’t know much about anything; much less something about everything. It gets me through each day, so I guess that’s all I need to know!
When we come to grips with the vast reservoir of knowledge to which we will NEVER be privy . . . it’s easier to say, “I don’t know” when someone asks a question to which we have no answer.
When we realize that we don’t need to know everything . . . it’s such a relief. Aah . . . that’s better!
I’d say you have your priorities right. Would that I had things lined up as well…my priorities can get muddled…
You seem far from muddled . . . and any muddlement you experience may result from having wee ones (including Big Al) looking to YOU for answers to questions that bother them so.
Sometimes we must say . . . I don’t know.
I learned that “I don’t know” is a suitable response when, as an attorney, I appeared before the NC Court of Appeals. Five justices peered down at me as I mustered the most compelling argument I could make in support of my client’s position.
And then the questions began. I had prepared. I knew my case and the cases/precedent which would have bearing on the judges’ ruling. They asked. I answered. And then one of the judges asked a question from out in left field. I had not anticipated it, so far afield it was.
I looked into the reaches of my mind and came up empty. Nothing there even remotely suggested a response.
So I gave the only response I could give . . . Your honor, I don’t know. {{gulp}} I would be happy to do some research and file a supplemental brief with the court . . .
The justice waved in dismissal of my offer, and then gave a most unusual reply . . . Not necessary. Nothing to do with your case really. It’s something from another case. You just seemed so prepared that I thought you might have come across something that would point me in the right direction.
The power of “I don’t know” has stayed with me since.
A fantastic story. I shall remember that, and its lesson
Share it with Big Al the next time he asks an impossible question . . .
Great story about the Court of Appeals! I’ve used the ‘I don’t know’ submission quite a few times. Judges seem to appreciate it. Besides, most of them have pretty good BS meters. I share your dislike for strident generalizations. All generalizations have exceptions – including this one.
Even generalizations about generalizations include exceptions to the rule, eh?
You’re right about judges and their BS meters. Most knew me as a straight shooter . . . definitely an advantage when the other side tried to muddy the waters with fiction rather than fact.
Phew, it’s exhausting to even imagine trying to know everything about anything…cheers to the power of “I don’t know” & thanks for that, Nancy!
It is such a relief to know that we don’t need to know “even the 1/2 of it.”
More wine?
So you don’t want the detail, but you don’t want to skim the surface either? What if you can only have one or the other?
Knowledge can be divided into three segments:
The segment we know that we know – I know I can drive a care
The segment we know we don’t know – I know I can’t fly a plane
The segment we don’t know that we don’t know
Like your divisions, Robyn. I enjoy knowing a bit of trivia about a lot of things . . . skimming the surface until I find something that sparks my interest enough that I want to dig digger.
I’ve changed “Trivial details” to “Tedious details” to clarify what I meant . . . we’re having shrimp for dinner . . . I got them at the X store . . . the regular fishmonger wasn’t there . . . three people were ahead of me in line . . . one kept talking into her cellphone . . . they didn’t have the large shrimp so I got the medium . . . I paid . . . etc.
{{YAWN}} I get bored listening to people who talk just to hear themselves talk.
“Facile explanations” is in the same vein . . . saying something without saying anything of import.
Got it – yes, I don’t want to know the details about the shrmp either. We are probably both yellow quadrant thinkers (HBDI)
I have never heard of Yellow Quadrant Thinkers. I’ll have to give it a google . . . but later.
Time to head outside and “seize the day.”
I like this one… some things are best not knowing…
I agree. I don’t need to know something about everything . . . especially true of anything I can do nothing about!