Whatever question you may have, in most cases, the most honest answer I should give is "I don't know". In particular, if your question is about you, your life, work, or challenges.
Sure, I may have an opinion. I can even have some ideas.
But the truth is, I don't know.
In a world that rewards the experts, probably that's not an intelligent thing to say. But I got tired of acting as if I knew. Plus, growth and exploration seldom start from what we know. It's "not knowing" that pushes human beings to embark on a journey of discovery.
Yet, it is so easy to convince ourselves that we know.
This period in which we live is commonly called the Information Age because it is based on our ability to acquire and store information. Most of humanity has easy access to infinite information and knowledge. And this can easily trap us in the illusion of knowledge.
Yesterday, I had this flash of the opening image after watching this short video of Jim Al-Khalili. The black dot is what I know. The grey area is what humanity as a whole knows. It is the sum of all the knowledge acquired by everyone in history. It represents the knowledge that I potentially could access. It's fair to say that I'll probably be able to acquire only a tiny fraction of that in my life. Everything beyond the grey area is the infinite vastity of the unknown.
It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so. —JOSH BILLINGS
So, whatever your question, it's highly likely that I don't have the answer. But if you're willing to take the leap, we can figure it out together.