The Illusion of Knowledge

Extended family reunions bring about all kind of feelings and emotions. For us, it's also a time to practice navigating highly possible toxic interactions with people in our lives that we can usually avoid a majority of the year. This particular holiday season was exactly that time for us. I'm sure we're not alone in dealing with that one (or a couple) of relatives that have every opinion as well as every judgement in the world to share with anyone who will listen. It's never about letting others make choices for themselves, but rather the belief that everyone is wrong and they are right. Period.  

 

But rather than dwell on those negative interactions, I wanted to reflect on how grateful I am for my immediate family--The Huz, The First-Born, and The Youngest. We have some very thought-provoking conversations about the issues that affect our lives. We don't always agree on everything, but we have productive discourse on things that matter to us. It is their opinion on societal events, religion, life choices etc that I refer to in my journey with my personal introspection. 

Something that The Youngest said resonated with me, "I never speak in the absolute.  I only know what I know until more data comes in."  Wise words from someone so young.  And words that I wish a couple of people in our lives would adhere to. These particular people are confident and sure about every opinion they hold: "facts" that can easily be disputed.  They hold judgements about how people identify, college choices, mask or no mask, vaccine no vaccine.  They see themselves as the epitome of human nature--in some self interpreted higher echelon of society.  But I say, no.  They are not.  We only know what we know.  And there's always room to learn more.

We recently had a health scare on my extended side of the family--a strange allergic reaction that involved not being able to breathe--which is a always a scary prospect. Thankfully, it was a good conclusion because that person is fine, but it also prompted a reflective conversation with my Mom about how thankful we both were.  At the time that we were speaking, we could've easily been having a sad time.  How delicate life is and as I get older, that realization is just becoming stronger and stronger which makes me double down even more on being open-minded, non-judgemental and kind to others. Clearly, that's not the route a couple people in our lives are taking, but as my quest for enlightenment continues, I realize they have to be true to themselves too. I just have to make sure my reactions, thoughts and feelings align with who I want to be--and make sure I limit my exposure to toxic people. And again, focus on being thankful for the people in my life that ground me and make me proud. 

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year, new day and new ways to have a positive outlook! 😘