Wisdom Is Knowing What We Don't Know

I hate surprises when they're on me. I love surprises when it's happening to someone else. My guess is that many other people feel as I do, and don't really like to be surprised, while rather enjoying keeping others in the dark. We silently sing to ourselves, "I know something you don't know!"

Somehow, I don't think it is in our best interests to keep the big surprises of our work all that secret. So I'll let it out, right here and now. In the categories of a classical SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), this article will be about weaknesses. However, the weaknesses we will address here won't be like any you might imagine.

When most people think about weaknesses, they think about physical disabilities, mental problems, even moral issues. In our framework, these are not weaknesses, they are opportunities! These things do not cripple purposeful change. They are learning experiences, and therefore, growth experiences. Even the awareness of our own ignorance or lack of skill can open the door to greater capacity.

What are the real weaknesses? We find them in the awareness that we call of ‘comprehension’. Surprise!! "How," you might ask, "does comprehension qualify as weaknesses? Don't we count it among our greatest strengths?" Yes, I'm afraid we do. That is the cause of many problems. We only think we understand or comprehend, when, in fact, we’re often deluding ourselves. What passes for comprehension is, in almost all cases, nothing but arrogance.

People think that when we understand something, we know what a thing really is. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Humankind does not draw meaning out of the real world, we put meaning into it. With apologies to Viktor Frankl, if "Man's Search for Meaning" yields any results at all, it’s because we have succeeded in creating meaning for ourselves -- and then we're very pleased with ourselves because we are able to "find" it.

We impose the words of a language on our perceptions to attempt to give them structure and dimension. We assume that everybody sees the same color that we call "green". We see in reality what we expect to see there, nothing more or less. We are deeply, creatively involved in structuring reality to suit ourselves, and then we dare to claim objectivity. We are hopelessly blinded by our common cultural presuppositions and prejudices, yet we dare to judge and ridicule others who are culturally programmed differently.

It is this arrogance, masquerading as understanding and comprehension, that blocks purposeful change in our personal and professional lives. It lies at the roots of misunderstandings, hatreds and wars. It is only when I am strong enough to lay aside my certitude and, as Benjamin Franklin said at the Constitutional Convention, to "doubt a little of my own infallibility" that perception might have the chance to shine on its own without the colored filters we are used to imposing on it. It seems that, as often happens, what we are most proud of (that is, our comprehension) is the cause of our greatest shame.

In fact, there is nothing "objective" about purposeful change. It never happens "out there" unless it is happening "in here". Purposeful change often sounds like: "I'm sorry." "Forgive me." "I didn't know." "I was mistaken." Purposeful change always starts with humility — the admission that our knowledge is only limited and it is one-dimensional. That one dimension is our own. When personal and team strengths are balanced with humble and appreciative inquiry, the way is open toward opportunity and purposeful, lasting change. And that should be no surprise!



Wisdom Is Knowing What We Don't Know - To learn more about this author, visit Les Brown's Website.

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