What you think you know

There are four types of information:

1. That which we know
2. that which we know we don't know
3. that which we don't know that we don't know
4. and that which we think we know

The hardest one to deal with can be number 4, that which we think we know.

Now when I say "that which we think we know" I don't necessarily mean factual information that we are wrong about. What I really mean is the unconscious information that we operate from without looking at the reality of a situation.

He is a very clear example of what I am talking about.

Each day a driver takes the same route to work, each morning they wait at the freeway entrance for the meter to turn green thus allowing them access to the freeway. This is the expected routine; this is what they know. One day the driver comes up to the meter and sits there staring at it for what can only be described as a ridiculous amount of time before realizing that the meter isn't even on. Some of the other drivers that follow do the same thing. Each one waiting for the expected green light.

These drivers are reacting to what they think they know instead of what is really happening. They believe that that meter should be running and so even though their eyes tell them that the light isn't on, they question it because they know that the meter is on at the time they drive to work. Some of these drivers even get mad at the ones that realize the meter is off and therefore don't stop when it is their turn to go. Funny enough, you would think that once people see other drivers going through the inactive meter they would have a realization about the circumstances and begin to move forward at a quicker pace. But while some drivers do make the connection, still others are stuck in what they think they know.

I'm sure many of us have encountered this situation more often then we would like, but even if you are one of the drivers that sees the inactive meter for what it is, you must ask yourself are there other areas of your life where you are operating based on what you think you know instead of the current conditions.

It can be difficult to make this determination for ourselves. If you have ever felt blindsided by life, then you were probably acting on what you thought you knew. When you have a misunderstanding and it turns out that you took what someone said the wrong way, then you might be reacting based on what you thought you knew.

In order to pull yourself out of living in your head and work within the actuality of life, you must make a commitment to live in the present and take things at face value. Be awake and aware of the world around you and trust that what you experience with your sense is real and move forward based on that information. Try not to allow yourself to over think the moment. Listen to the words that are said and don't try to add meaning to them.

It takes time and patience to enact this type of change in your life. Even the most mindful people will sometimes find themselves slipping back into what they think they know, and that's ok. The more aware you are the easier it becomes to self correct the backslide.