On Monday evening I was invited by a friend to a presentation on a course he had attended, and was very enthusiastic about. I went along to see what it was all about.
One of the interesting concepts that was discussed during the evening was about knowledge. The presenter drew a big circle on the board, and said that the circle represented everything that could ever possibly be known in terms of knowledge.
She then drew a small slice of the circle. “This represents stuff that we know about, and that we know that we know about.” As examples of this, perhaps you know how to drive a car, or operate a computer, or bake a cake, or read a book. We all know different stuff, and we all know about what we know.
The presenter then drew another small slice, as said, “This represents stuff that we know that we don’t know.” Examples of this may be that you know that people fly helicopters, but you don’t know how to. Maybe you know that people perform brain surgery, but you wouldn’t know how to. Maybe you don’t know how to drive a car, or read Chinese, or any number of other things.
She then pointed to the remaining large area of the circle. “So what’s left? Stuff we don’t know about, and we don’t even know that we don’t know about it, because we have no idea what it might even be. So for you, what sort of thing would be in that area? Well, you don’t know!”
Part of the course, she explained, was about examining those areas that we don’t know that we don’t know.
I guess that that has always been a part of my philosophy. Throughout the whole ALife4Sale process, and a huge part of my reasons for creating the 100goals100weeks challenge for myself, is that I have always said that life is about new experiences, seeing new places, doing new things, meeting new people, learning new stuff.
But one of the challenges I have faced when making my list of 100 goals, is that I only know about the things that I know about! So it is more than likely, it is certain, that there are goals that I would love to achieve, but can’t add them to the list, because I don’t know about them.
That is why I have found the whole “Add 5” process fascinating. There have been so many goals suggested that I had never considered, and so many places suggested that I had never even heard of. As an example, I had never heard of the “Crazy Horse” mountain sculpture, and only by opening myself to suggestions from others have I found out about it.
But a week ago I didn’t even know that I didn’t know about it!
I hope this whole journey will reveal many more things that I didn’t know that I didn’t know.