“Whadda ya know?” My father often asked this friendly question as a greeting when meeting up with someone. I never really understood it at the time, but I’ve begun to appreciate it as a profound question today. As French Scientist, Claude Bernard said: “It is what we think we know already that often prevents us from learning.”
I wonder what we really do know! Much of what we hear today is conflicting, whether it is science, news reports, history, or opinion. It seems the world is at war, with everyone attempting to declare that what they know is “THE TRUTH”. Yet one person’s “truth” often directly contradicts another person’s “truth”. Perhaps “truth” is contextual, not so easy to nail down, and anchored to individual perception. Perhaps a quest for “truth” is a fool’s errand, better ignored in favor of offering perspective, respect, kindness, listening and support. I am certain that, over time, things that “I knew to be true”, turned out not to be so true at all.
Maybe more of us need to question our “truths”. So, whadda ya know?
Thoughts or reflections?