Thursday, February 16, 2012

Action 036 - Choose To Not Know.

It's nearly midnight. The husband and I are in bed talking, and a question comes up.

"What day are we having people over, the 25th or 26th?"

Instantly, I'm rolling over to the nightstand and opening the (unbelievably bright!) iPad to check the calendar. I see that it's the 26th, return the iPad to the stand, and roll back over. Only now it's midnight, I'm wide awake from the glare of the iPad, and I'm absolutely no better for having confirmed the date.

Just another reason I need Action 036 - Choose to Not Know. Just because a question pops into my head doesn't mean I have to chase down the answer immediately. The other night, I looked up the seating capacity at the Rose Bowl. It was 1am. What is wrong with me?!

Having instant access to all the data in the world is a good thing, but not if I let it make me feel uncomfortable NOT knowing something for a while. There is value in letting the mind find its own way through the unknown. Brainstorming and free associating have merit, too, but I stifle them by immediately chasing down the empirical fact.

It's okay if I don't know something. And that, I know for sure.



Photo courtesy of Foto search Stock Photo Royalty Free Photograph

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