In fact, we know nothing
When two lovers under the moon contemplate its silvery rays, captivated; when the soul sways next to the sea, moved by its sounds; when silence finds shelter in the heart while contemplating the immensity of the desert or the infinite blue of the sky; when sight gets lost looking at the colour of a fire; then something indefinable connects us, in mysterious ways, with the whole universe and with our innermost self. Time stops then, as do anxiety, despair and uncertainty.
We are filled with a kind of knowledge that needs no words; a knowledge related to the ultimate reality of things.
But here lies the problem: today, man has forgotten how to do this; he has forgotten how to connect with the Mystery.
In a world where the constant flow of information hits our ears every day through mass media, newspapers and TV, and where any book can be obtained online in a few seconds — something that, hundreds of years ago, would have cost immeasurable effort and difficulty — we have the false sensation of knowing everything.
When Plato wrote his divine dialogues or Aristotle his scientific works, neither of them thought to make a fortune out of it, nor to become bestselling authors. In that era, there were no international publishing houses or even written newspapers. Their works were the result of deep meditation and experience. They were public figures who lived in small, human-scale cities. Their personal deeds and their way of life were well known. They could not and would not lie to anyone with empty words.
For this reason, their students devoutly copied their manuscripts by hand, knowing that they were treasures of human wisdom. While doing so, they carefully weighed up the written words, knowing that they belonged to wise people and were therefore important and not to be wasted. Perhaps they could only read a few books, as they were rare and expensive, but they absorbed those few that fell into their hands with their characteristic thirst for wisdom. They also pursued wisdom by listening to teachings, unlike today's people who run home to throw themselves on a sofa and watch television for hours.
Therefore, their eyes learnt to see the world in a special way and they projected their soul onto everything they saw. However, the magic that everyone holds inside is often covered by tons of dust, useless information and transitory data that prevent us from recognising clean, sharp and bright truth.
Today, we are no longer touched by landscapes, famous ruins, beautiful rivers or the sea because we have seen them in photos before. We believe that we know everything. We do not realise that looking at a picture of the Himalayan peaks is not the same as ascending alone to the mountain heights, overcoming human barriers with each step and opening a sparkling future for our spirit.
We should recognise that we know nothing. Perhaps then our ignorance will be cured, because only he who knows what he lacks can seek what he needs.
