What If We Don't Know Everything?

Today I feel inspired to put some thoughts out there for folks to consider. Given what I am seeing so rampantly lately, I invite you to ponder this: How good are you at accepting and processing new information? From a broader perspective, I have been observing some concerning trends that have me pondering what is going on. Are we terrified at the thought that we might not know everything? or expect ourselves to be right about everything? Are we afraid of being wrong? Or are we uncomfortable with the thought of having to assimilate new information / beliefs?

Lately, I've been observing how much resistance people have to hearing anything that doesn't match their current beliefs and also noticing how often they admonish anyone who has a differing view or different information.  

I see people lashing out at a person when they have attempted to shine the light on something or share something they believe is true. These folks react by ridiculing the person or flat out bullying them with negative comments, shutting them down, labeling them with harsh things like "idiots, conspiracy theorists, etc." or demanding that they "prove that with irrefutable scientific evidence." 

It can be incredibly disheartening when you see how downright ugly we can be to each other when we are presented with something that we are not ready to consider. I've also observed that the more we don't want to believe something is true, the more resistant we can often be.

It makes me wonder: Why we are so afraid to be open to the possibility that we may not know the truth about everything?

Over the years, I have come across a lot of information that I didn't want to believe at first. Seeing someone that we have believed in or thought was a trusted authority figure crumble before our eyes can be difficult to wrap our brains around. I get it. It's hard to process when someone we looked up to has fallen off the pedestal we had put them on. Sometimes it is a case of finding out about a piece of new information that has you shaking your head in disbelief because it doesn't "fit" with what we thought we knew. Maybe it is something we don't want to see. Or we don't want to believe that what we are being shown could be possible. 

There's that feeling of overwhelm that can come with it and we can be hit with the fear that everything we thought was true will come crashing down around us if we accept this new piece of information. 

So how do we process new information? 

What I have learned is this: Even though something can initially have me reeling, it's a good idea to just sit with it. I've learned to wait and see if more information on the topic comes across my path in the coming days, weeks and months. I've learned to keep my eyes and my mind open so that if more information DOES come along that either confirms or refutes what I had read before, I will see it and be able to process it. I've learned to let the internal "dust" settle as I process new information because that is often when I get clarity. 

Given that the only thing we can truly control is ourselves and our reactions to things . . . that's usually a good place to start. Another thing to consider is that when someone says something that riles us up, rather than lashing out at that person, maybe we can stop and ask ourselves "Why is that bothering me so much?" 

Is it possible the person is sharing information that you just don't WANT to believe? What if what was being shared WAS true? What would it mean to us and our lives? Would we be able to continue living as we assimilate the new information? or would our world truly fall apart if we accepted a new "truth" into our reality?

If you still think the person is an idiot or a conspiracy theorist, can you keep that to yourself rather than demeaning the person with those labels? Can you just file it away and accept that everyone has a right to believe what they believe? Maybe even consider the possibility that there might be some truth in what they shared?

Sometimes new information forces us to let go of some of our old beliefs. That isn't always a bad thing. Think about how your beliefs have changed throughout your life. (For instance, I used to believe that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were all real)  :-) 

Why is this relevant now?

I have a feeling that many of the things that have been "hidden" from us for decades (and centuries) are going to start coming out with greater frequency - that we are going to be told things we may not want to know or be shown things that we don't want to accept. It seems like now is a pretty good time to prepare for it, to look at ourselves and see how we react and respond to information that is outside our comfort zone or outside of our "reality bubble" . . . 

A question to ponder: Can we look for ways to process new information that we might not initially be comfortable with? or believe are totally wrong? Can we do it in a more peaceful way - where we don't have to make others WRONG? It could shape whether hearing new information is a terrifying experience or an experience that ultimately allows us to begin spreading our wings - it is entirely up to us.