Ambiguity Prayer

I feel blessed to embrace the things I don't know.  There are two distinct groupings of things I don't know.  The ones I know that I don't know; and the ones that I don't know that I don't know.  I am particularly fond of the ones that I don't know that I don't know.

If you were to count up all the people who have ever roamed this planet, I suspect a majority of them would live lived their whole lives and died never questioning truths that we now know to be, (how do I say this respectfully?)  er...wrong.  The earth isn't at the middle of the solar system, disease (most of them) aren't caused by demons and the grand-daddy of them all, that the earth isn't flat, (no matter how counter-intuitive that may seem to mid-westerners).

Picture by David Haworth.  Buy it here.

Of course, I have no proof of my beliefs.  I just believe the people who tell me this kind of stuff.  Which universal truths do I believe that are just plain wrong?  I don't know.  Ha!  Here's the beautiful part - I'll NEVER know, because I'l be dead!

I found myself praying this:


Ambiguity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept that I may not know much at all;
the courage question my own beliefs;
and the wisdom to transcend definition.

Living one thought at a time;
Enjoying one interaction at a time;
Accepting ambiguity as the pathway to true peace;
Finding meaning in other's beliefs and knowledge
rather than critiquing their accuracy;
Trusting that right or wrong, we are still here, together;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with everyone else, too.
For as long as the bons temps may rouler.

Amen.