ONLINE Wed, May 6: "PARADOX, IGNORANCE, and SERENDIPITY"

Dave Weimer will be our host tonight
A paradox is a statement, person, or situation that seems self-contradictory, illogical, or
absurd, but in reality, expresses a possible truth or reveals a deeper complexity.

Ignorance is a state of lacking knowledge, information, or education regarding a subject,
often described as being uninformed rather than unintelligent. It acts as a neutral
description of a "state of not knowing," ranging from innocence to a lack of awareness.

Serendipity is the occurrence of valuable or pleasant discoveries by accident rather than
by design. It is essentially "fortunate happenstance" or "lucky surprises," such as finding
something wonderful while looking for something else entirely. It combines luck with
sagacity, or wisdom, to recognize the value of an unexpected finding.
Merriam-Webster online definitions.

How does each of these things factor in your life’s path? In your aims?

1. Do you have examples of a paradox in the context of self-inquiry, or regarding
   anything relevant to you?
   • The more you know, the more you know how little you know?
   • Happiness leads to unhappiness and unhappiness leads to happiness?
   • Your certainty about one thing and adhering to that certainty blinds you to many
   other possibilities.
2. Regarding ignorance, you don’t know what you don’t know. When I was in the Army,
   I complained to a sergeant when I was reprimanded for not completing a task
   acceptably. “I didn’t know! [some things he said I should have known]” He
   answered, “Ignorance is no excuse.” This baffled and infuriated me. In later years, I
   arrived at a more nuanced understanding regarding my own abilities and what is
   needed to meet challenging situations. “Ignorance is no excuse for acting
   ignorantly,” was my own formulation. By “acting ignorantly,” I meant whining that I
   didn’t know what to do, as opposed to stepping into a situation and trying my best.
3. Serendipity. This is something I wouldn’t advise others to depend upon. Yet, in my
   life, I’ve found that along with my willingness to step forward into the unknown, into
   new situations, and committing myself to the endeavor, I have been met by
   unexpected occurrences, discoveries, and aid. Is it magical? Maybe. Possibly not. I
   have observed on multiple occasions that these unexpectedly occur.

Let’s talk.