We Don't Know What We Don't Know

There was a Twitter exchange between Stephen King and a tweeter, which goes something like:

Stephen King: No, Coronavirus is NOT like THE STAND. It's not anywhere near as serious. It's eminently survivable. Keep calm and take all reasonable precautions.

Someone replied: Have you read the book?!

(Those who have heard of The Stand would probably know it was written by Stephen King).

As with all social media platforms, sometimes you get the good stuff, but it is also a place where you can see the possible (but we hope not) fate of the human race and where our consciousness lies. People can really show up daft, despite our best of intentions. And I say this, not in judgment, but to show how unaware and unawakened we can be. 

The reality is this: We don't know what we don't know. 

There are all kinds of fighters and defenders in the world, people fight to defend the flat earth theory, they fight to defend the coronavirus is not real, or they fight to defend how Elvis is still alive. 

I like to invite my clients to look beyond what they know. To go beyond what they think the reality is beyond their pond. If they can't see it, let's imagine it first. It is uncomfortable at the beginning, but if they get used to the idea that there is more in life than their limited perspective, they can grow further and deeper. 

If you are a frog in a well, all you see when you look up is the sky. When the frog who has seen the ocean comes back to tell you how vast and beautiful the ocean is, do not put this ocean frog down, to defend your stand that the ocean doesn't exist, because there is a real possibility that your view was hindered by the well. 

We do not realise how ridiculous we sound defending the theory that the ocean doesn't exist, just because we have not seen it, viewed it, or experienced it. 

Most people are comfortable being in the well. And sometimes it is best to leave them in the well. 

In our history, wars (from global to personal) have been fought just to defend the perspective from the well. And somehow despite all the war wounds, people still cling on tight to the well, never leaving the confines of the well, never seeing what is beyond. 

Have you experienced potential ridiculous fights with people who wants to argue with you about things they have only read about ON THE INTERNET when you have personally been there, done that, and experienced that? Sometimes, I don't know whether to laugh or defend their ego by not saying how ridiculous they sound. One thing is for sure, sharing my personal experience would cause them to tailspin. 

Because we don't know what we don't know, and if we are committed to growing, we must be open to the possibility that we are currently sitting in the well, and that beyond the walls of the well, there is a vastness we cannot comprehend as yet. 

This has been one of the things that have helped me to remain hungry to learn and to expand. My teachers have always led me to see from what I thought I knew to what I can see as real, and the cycle keeps going. So I share this with you in the hopes that you will continue to grow as well.

So I invite you to stay open and don't be the frog in the well. 

©2021 Shamala Tan

Let me know how I can assist you if you have any questions [email protected]
Shamala Tan is an author, spiritual entrepreneur and healer. Her work focuses on transforming the lives of others on the spiritual, emotional, mental and earthly level.

One of her success stories as an author is to being featured alongside New York’s bestsellers Sonia Choquette, Robert Allen, Arielle Ford, Marci Shimoff as well as Christine Kloser in the book Pebbles In The Pond.

Shamala’s clients include small business owners, holistic practitioners as well as those seeking to find more significant meaning and value in life. Shamala offers laser coaching to her clients on a one-to-one basis or in a group environment, offline as well as online.