Know Not What You Know Not

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Manly Palmer Hall in his lecture 'Computer and Confucius' explains that compounded ignorance is more dangerous than what is being ignored. 

"Know not, what you know not."

So, what does it mean to know not, what you know not ? 

Hall explains that its the tendency of humans to remain unaware. And choose to be so. People he says are afraid of acknowledging this fact, and adjusting like wise. 

The 21st century is largely about globalization, and in a way manufacturing for the global market. Companies like Nestle are trying to even gain power over water resources. The CEO of Nestle was quoted saying that the people must be made to pay for water. May be what Mark Twain once said can be related to the success of such multinational company. 

"To Succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence."

The humanity has in itself lost the sense of humanity. And we are surrounded by consumerism and branding. It seems as if the current civilization is a lost cause. 

The Charlie Hebdo incidence where 12 people lost their lives is also the outcome of the compounded ignorance. Similarly, the elite nations working in the shadow and trying to dominate the world is also the outcome of compounded ignorance. 

When a large group of people live in ignorance, a huge evil is born out of it. Hall explains that by perpetuating this sort of ignorance, we destroy the foundation of our own future.  May be that though is what made Shakespeare write that 'Ignorance is the curse of God: knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven."


Knowledge is the wing. 


Confucius makes it very clear that real knowledge  is to know the extent of one's ignorance. So we all are surviving in our own boundaries of ignorance and only by real knowledge we evolve from ignorance. But what is the real knowledge. 

I feel real knowledge means 'wisdom'. And very few of us actually seek wisdom. Because with wisdom a huge responsibility arises in him. Hall explains that 'Ignorance is not overcome by brute force- it is overcome only by enlightenment'.

So, a person must live as a philosopher. Not just because its a fancy term but because its the love of life and wisdom. Because wisdom is not just the attitude of mind but  the condition of the consciousness itself. 


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