Opinions and curiosity | Vividness
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Opinions and curiosity | Vividness
Alex Wittenberg and added
there is more than a grain of wisdom in the Skeptics’ approach and not a little resemblance to our Buddhist concept of non-attachment. We might hear echoes of the Third Zen Ancestor’s reminder that the Way is not difficult for those who do not hold on to likes and dislikes. Knowing, not knowing; liking, disliking; wanting, not wanting—these are the
... See moreBarry Magid • Ending the Pursuit of Happiness: A Zen Guide
Often, we avoid complexity and instead collapse all of our uncertainty into a neat ideology that claims to explain everything. But if we resist that urge and instead lean into it, it can bring us into a state of epistemic humility. We realise just how much we don’t know, and how hard these problems are to solve. And in that acceptance, we often fin... See more
Alexander Beiner • The Sensemaking Companion: Section III
Stuart Evans added
In the Buddhist path, there’s great importance placed on the don’t-know mind. The central teaching of the lord Buddha is the radical interexistence of all things. Everything plays back and forth from all sides; everything is contingent upon everything else. So, to claim that you know the outcome is hilarious and pathetic.
Andrew Boyd • I Want a Better Catastrophe: Navigating the Climate Crisis with Grief, Hope, and Gallows Humor
“An ability to tolerate the anxiety generated by ambiguity is what allows us to respect, engage, and grow from our repeated, daily encounters with the essential mysteries of life. But the payoff goes even further. Certainty begets stagnation, but ambiguity pulls us deeper into life. Unchallenged conviction begets rigidity, which begets regression;
... See moreand be with not knowing. It encourages us to show up ready and eager to meet whatever arises. Perhaps most important, it demands the mental and emotional agility to be comfortable with the paradox of simultaneously holding two or more points of view with equal attentiveness.
Mary Taylor • The Art of Vinyasa: Awakening Body and Mind through the Practice of Ashtanga Yoga
In more “spiritual” pursuits, a peaceful clear-mindedness is considered laudable and, to the newcomer, somewhat mysterious. If we look closely at this state of mind, we find that at its base is simply openness, a willingness to not-know. This aspect of wisdom’s clarity usually goes unrecognized, since what followers most often seek is knowledge and
... See morePeter Ralston • The Book of Not Knowing: Exploring the True Nature of Self, Mind, and Consciousness
Such closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, originates in the brain's natural dislike for ambiguity, which it often seeks to blindly eliminate rather than explore. Ambiguity can for some spark a curiosity but others who prefer immediate certainty block the investigative process altogether. Most people urgently demand an answe
... See more