We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

Here are a couple of quotes from the above article.

“The results suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution increases vulnerability to experiencing the most severe COVID-19 outcomes,”

“Atlanta stands out as one of the clearest examples,” 

Should we be scared? 

Why is it that some people don’t even know they have COVID-19 while others get seriously ill and still others die? I think the truth is we don’t have the answers yet. The novel Coronavirus that is causing the current pandemic is just that, novel meaning new. It is a unique being, a unique expression of life on our planet. So, there is not that much data yet. We can say we know a lot about tigers, and bears and the flu because they have been with us for a long, long time, but this new virus, not so much. 

An awake mind knows this virus is an expression of part of our True Nature, which is always creating and changing; it can never be fully understood or known. It is often just when we think we’ve got it all figured out that life has a way of showing us we don’t know as much as we believe. If we know we don’t have anything figured out, and we know we don’t have control over anything, we are not shocked or surprised by something like a novel coronavirus, and we don’t rush to conclusions about it.

This tension between known and unknown can be both incredibly exciting and also terrifying to the human mind, which thinks that knowing enough will allow control and safety. The human mind often uses ‘knowing’ as a child does a security blanket. Does a security blanket keep a child safe? No, but it may give the child the illusion or feeling of safety. Does knowing a lot keep us safe? Has scientific research made us happier and healthier? Has it answered the essential questions? Death, disease, poverty, human suffering, and ignorance are still with us. It seems that for every disease, we cure a new one pops up or is on the rise. 

Now, I want to be very clear; I am not anti-science or anti-knowledge. But what is the right relationship for us both with knowledge and with the mystery of our being? Both are aspects of our nature, and instead of trying to deny the mystery and cover it over with knowledge, perhaps it is time for humanity to acknowledge and embrace both. 

Besides, what can we know for sure? According to Socrates, a very wise and enlightened man, nothing. I am not asking you to take my word for it or Socrates for that matter. Do the work and find this out for yourself. This is all meditation is really about. Most people won’t, and that is okay. But if you take me up on this offer, you discover Buddha’s Nirvana and the Christ’s Kingdom of Heaven. 

Stay safe and shelter in place!

-Douglas Johnson E-RYT 500, YACEP

Spring Fling - A Bhakti Yoga Retreat

March 29-31