{"id":1135,"date":"2013-10-15T14:25:12","date_gmt":"2013-10-15T19:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/?p=1135"},"modified":"2013-10-15T14:25:12","modified_gmt":"2013-10-15T19:25:12","slug":"poem-confused","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/2013\/10\/15\/poem-confused\/","title":{"rendered":"POEM: Confused"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are confused, you are well on your way<\/span><\/p>\n

Life can be complicated.\u00a0 If you delve into the intricacies of most any situation or topic, you will find many shades of gray, and undoubtedly some paradoxes or contradictions.\u00a0 If you find this confusing, then consider that a sign that you are well on your way.\u00a0 Another version of this is: “If you are confused, then you are beginning to understand the problem.”\u00a0 Certainly, having a deep and nuanced understanding of any situation or topic can offer great benefits.\u00a0 Knowing the facts about reality can be much better than not knowing the facts about reality.\u00a0 However, sheer knowledge has its limits and can bring diminishing returns with increasing effort exerted.\u00a0 At some point it may even bring negative returns.\u00a0 This brink or end of knowledge can be the beginning of wisdom.\u00a0 The learned add something each day; the wise let go of something each day.\u00a0 A key facet of wisdom is unlearning, letting go of ways that no longer work well.\u00a0 Increasing complexity is not the strength that wisdom offers, but rather simplicity.\u00a0 Organizing one’s life around a few things that one is confident about is much wiser than building an increasingly complex, teetering pile of less certain and less valued stuff.\u00a0 In the wise words of Lao-tse: “I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”\u00a0 Of course, in modern, capitalistic, Western civilization, complexity, impatience, and unadulterated self-interest are virtues cultivated.\u00a0 Complexity overwhelms simplicity in a juggernaut of competing interests meeting shallow needs.\u00a0 Impatience serves as a superficial imposter of the eternal now.\u00a0 Greed trumps compassion.\u00a0 If you find these clashing values confusing, take simplicity, patience, and compassion for a test drive. Still, don’t be surprised if many around you find your new ways increasingly confusing.\u00a0 Knowing the world is knowledge.\u00a0 Knowing others is wisdom.\u00a0 Knowing oneself is enlightenment.\u00a0 And many get stuck on knowledge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you are confused, you are well on your way Life can be complicated.\u00a0 If you delve into the intricacies of most any situation or topic, you will find many shades of gray, and undoubtedly some paradoxes or contradictions.\u00a0 If … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,15],"tags":[339,280,555,539,117,359,548,100,37,387,658,94,601,53,237,575,478,429,85,389,380],"class_list":["post-1135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poems","category-political-and-philosophical-musings","tag-compassion","tag-diminishing-returns","tag-enlightenment","tag-facts","tag-greed","tag-life","tag-modern","tag-one-line-poems","tag-paradoxes","tag-patience","tag-poems","tag-poetry","tag-reality","tag-short-poems","tag-simplicity","tag-superficial","tag-values","tag-virtue","tag-western-civilization","tag-wisdom","tag-work"],"yoast_head":"\nPOEM: Confused | Poems, Political and Philosophical Musings | Top Pun's Poetry, Funny Puns, Free Posters, Public Health Radio Show! 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