Overall, ârealizing I donât knowâ is utterly true. Yet, making that blanket statement is self-contradictory I suppose⌠a bit paradoxical. Within certain defined limitations, we can know what we know. The problem really arises from putting too much faith in what we think we know. Holding beliefs are like following false prophets, i.e., âAnd many false prophets will arise and lead many astrayâ â Matthew 24:11.
Thus, I see a little simpler way to describe our disease (i.e., chapter 71âs, not realizing I donât know) and perhaps avoid the paradox.
First, both the disease and our sense of free will all begin with the deep seatedâvisceralâemotion that at least all âhigherâ animals experience. An animalâs actions are in fact reactions to emotions experienced at the moment.
Need, fear, and all related emotions, trigger action responses⌠fight or flight, and everything in between. As Buddha put it, the surrounding world effects sensation and begets a thirst that clamors for immediate satisfaction. The five sensesâeyesight, hearing, taste, touch and smellâtrigger that âthirstâ (emotional need).
For animals other than human, reactions are immediate and mainly transient. Overall, tranquility returns when the emotional stimulus subsides. Alas, it doesnât stop there for humans because we have one additional sense that dominates our awarenessâthought and imagination!
Life is biologically set up to regard the perceptual input from the five principle senses to feel ultra real. Not doing so would profoundly threaten survival. Naturally then, humans canât help but regard the sixth-sense virtual-reality of their thoughts to feel ultra real as well, and this is the fundamental origin of our disease.
Regarding our sixth senseâthought and imaginationâto be just as real as the five primary senses is as natural as it is mistaken. Moreover, our faith in thought lends itself to creating life long stories that feed back into our emotions, which then easily trigger over-reaction.
One result of this disease is that it spawns our sense of free willâour ability to make free choices in life. We continually imagine doing this or that and proceed to act. Because we are not usually aware of the emotional basis for our imaginations and actions, itâs not surprising that we end up feeling certain that we are in control!
The virtual reality of our sixth sense fosters a sense of self (ego) which, together with empathic mirror neurons, easily imagines scenarios wherein we and especially others can âtake responsibilityâ and make âright choicesâ in life.
In a fundamental way we end up living in a split reality⌠one that is physical and in the moment like other animals, and one that is an imagined virtual reality playing out in our multi-billion synaptic neural space. The most debilitating aspect of this for us is being unable to realize this uniquely human problem. Thus, as chapter 71 advises, Realizing I donâtâ know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease. Man alone faults this disease; this so as not to be ill
In a nutshell, on the surface thought appears rational and trustworthy. And yet below that surface emotion is profoundly influencing thought. For example, when you feel anger, you have angry thoughts. When you feel insecure, your thoughts reflect that fear. In the end, emotion is neither rational nor âtrustworthyâ, which is why Realizing I donâtâ know is better!