Idiosyncratic Expression

(source: vocabulary.com)

I most certainly check the boxes of the original meaning of  idiot:

• Ordinary person 

• Keeps to himself 

I am not proclaiming to be Einstein; after all, I do wear socks.

But I do talk to my dog…

Motivated by the reality that I recently reached age 49 and am now statistically past the halfway point, I feel compelled to emerge from self-imposed isolation.   

I’ve always had an active and curious mind. I have an insatiable desire for understanding, which leads to questions….lots of questions.  It is both satisfying and exhausting. 

It’s curious when so much of life is a blur, but moments stand out. Some of those moments are easily understood, like reaching a particular milestone, a significant news event, the death of a loved one, or the birth of a child. I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing, a phenomenon we can relate to. 

But what about the ones that are more seemingly mundane?

The moments in our minds that are on instant recall that don’t quite meet the “milestone” criterion.  

A contextual example of this was a philosophy class when I was about 20 years old. It was an early morning class that did not agree with my twenty-year-old college lifestyle schedule. I can see myself seated in the back left corner of the room. I’m pretty confident that my interest and attention were less than optimal. 

But then it happened. The professor began the lecture about Socrates and the concept of Socratic ignorance.  “I know nothing.” 

It is how I felt that day in the back left corner of that classroom. And it’s a general statement of how I think most of the time.

Why? It’s because it opened the door of curiosity inside of me. It is the first step toward wisdom. 

Knowing that you do not know encourages continuous questioning and intellectual exploration. It acknowledges that there’s always more to learn and understand.  

David Allen, of Getting Things Done fame, has made a notable reference to moments like those in that classroom: “The sublime comes through the mundane.”

At the time, there could not have been a better description of mundane than an early morning philosophy class. Yet, nearly three decades later, this moment stuck with me and shaped a large part of my point of view. 

Perhaps Socrates spoke to me that day because of my Greek DNA, and I learned a thing or two along the way.

Yet, I still know nothing. 

It feeds the curiosity machine. 

Curiosity can be the foundation of perspective based on our unique life experiences. I have benefited from others' perspectives, which shape who I am and who I am becoming. This has come from books, podcasts, video content, and blogs, just like this will endeavor to be. 

What if those people stayed isolated and hoarded their learning instead of sharing? 

Is there some moral obligation to share what we have learned and experienced?

Robert Heinlein said, “When one teaches, two learn.”

This provides an opportunity to enhance my understanding, and I hope someone else will benefit from it. 

So, in the spirit of idiosyncratic expression, this is mine: an ordinary guy who has historically kept to himself is stepping outside his comfort zone to share what he has learned. 

Remember, starting from a place of knowing nothing opens the door to everything.