The more you know, the more you don’t know
Once upon a time, when I felt young and naive, I started on a “spiritual journey of life”. I attempted to find myself by taking a long solo motorcycle trip from Surabaya to Denpasar, then Malang, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Jakarta, and back to Surabaya, covering a total distance of approximately 1800 km, without a clear destination, without solid planning, just wanting to see another side of life from my own perspective.
In some of those cities, I visited several coffee shops, tried cafe hopping from one place to another, attempted to build connections at each coffee shop I visited, asked about many things to many people, inquired about the meaning of life from different perspectives, and it turns out there are so many new perspectives, very unique, very complex answers from everyone I met on that journey.
The most memorable journey was when I was in Bandung; a lot of things happened in that city, so many. But in that city, I found one coffee shop that, personally, I think is the best among all the ones I’ve visited in my journeys to the cities I mentioned earlier — a coffee shop called Blue Doors, a cozy place, serving delicious coffee, with exceptional hospitality, and lovely people.
And from the conversation that happened then, there’s one sentence that still sticks in my mind, which is “the more you know, the more you don’t know.” To me, that sentence is magical, where every time I say it in my heart or out loud, I always feel like I’m becoming a very small part of this life. I feel like I don’t understand many things even though I already know things that I consider to be expertise in their field. And every time I mention that sentence, I always feel the need to humble myself to anyone because it turns out I’m someone who doesn’t know anything.
It’s a curious paradox that many of us encounter on our journey of knowledge and discovery. Imagine standing on the shore of an endless ocean of information. Every time a wave hits the shore, it brings new knowledge. As you wade deeper into the waters, You understand how incredibly large and wide-reaching this ocean really is.
Imagine diving into a subject you’re passionate about, whether it’s art, science, or history. As you dig deeper, you uncover layers upon layers of information, each leading to new questions and insights. It’s like peeling an onion; the more layers you peel back, the more you realize there is still beneath the surface.
As you keep exploring, you get really interested in all the little details and connections in your favorite subject. Every time you learn something new, it makes you want to learn even more. Each piece of information you discover helps you understand things better and makes you even more curious. You start to notice how complex and interesting your passion is, and you realize there’s always more to learn.
This concept can be both humbling and inspiring. On one hand, it reminds us of our limitations as individuals. No matter how much we learn, there will always be more to discover. It’s a humbling reminder that we are just a small part of a huge and complex universe.
On the other hand, this is very good. The realization that there is always more to learn fuels our curiosity and drives us to keep exploring. It opens up endless possibilities for growth and self-improvement. Instead of feeling burdened by the amount of knowledge, we can embrace it as a source of inspiration and motivation.
This duality of feeling — both humbled and inspired — captures the core of what it means to be human. When faced with a lot of knowledge, we are forced to confront our own limitations and the limitations of our understanding. But instead of feeling sad about this, we feel excited about all the things we can learn and discover.
In acknowledging that we are just a small part of a larger whole, we are reminded of the interconnectedness of all things. Every question answered leads to new questions, every discovery made uncovers new mysteries. It’s a reminder that no matter how far we journey into the depths of knowledge, there will always be more to explore.
This phenomenon is often referred to as the “Dunning-Kruger effect” —the realization that the more you know, the more you become aware of your own limitations and the more of what you still don’t know.
This moment is really important in your learning journey. It’s like going from feeling like you know a lot and being too sure of yourself, to realizing there’s so much you still don’t know. It’s like climbing a mountain and finding out there are even taller mountains ahead that you haven’t reached yet.
Accepting the idea that the more we learn, the more we realize we don’t know can help us stay curious, humble, and keep learning all our lives. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by how much we don’t know, we can see it as a chance to explore, find out new things, and understand more. It reminds us to be open-minded and amazed by every new thing we learn, knowing that there’s still so much more out there waiting to be discovered.
So, the next time you feel like you’ve mastered a subject or reached the limits of your understanding, remember this: there’s always more to discover. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. Instead, let it make you even more curious and excited about learning. Because the more you learn, the more fun the adventure gets.
