Throughout my whole life, the most frequent answer I was giving to others was, and still is, “I don’t know.”
For many years, I blamed myself for not knowing the answers to many questions. Even if I was replying “Yes” or “No” or trying to explain various issues to others, the phrase “I don’t know” often appeared, somehow spontaneously. In May 2019, I already wrote a post named “All I have is doubt.” I asked in this text many questions. For most of them, there will be no answers. I wrote many posts where I stated that I won’t write about Universal truth because something like this does not exist.
The truth is that Wislawa Szymborska’s Nobel Lectures from 1996 inspired me to write this text.
A famous Polish female poet stated that the phrase “I don’t know” moves forward scientists, artists, and many other people towards trying to explain many issues that occur in our world. After reading Szymborska’s Nobel Lecture, I suddenly stopped blaming myself for not knowing the answers to many questions. Moreover, I started to feel an awkward feeling of relief and inspiration that the statement “I don’t know” can move mountains. While reading Szymborska’s poems, I started to wonder whether it is merely better for us, usual humans, that we do not possess Universal truth and knowledge regarding the surrounding world.
Indeed, curiosity and doubts help us develop and learn of the world we feel and see in front of our eyes.
How happy I am that I do not know everything. Now I see that the state of not possessing knowledge also helped me write about many issues. I do not know if human civilization’s long-term aim is to colonize other planets. Indeed, I do not know any singular purpose of our existence. Is it a reason to be worried or to be happy? After seconds of thinking, I must state that I don’t know the answer to this question. Still, lack of knowledge cannot prevent us from seeking it.
