What I know for sure....
Oprah and I both turned 60 in January, That’s pretty much where the similarity ends. Having watched her shows through the years I have always been intrigued by her hallmark question: “What do you know for sure?” Each time she asked a guest that question, I would ask myself that question, and I would answer confidently and differently every time. A decade ago I would have not only answered the question, I would have sounded unequivocal, confident of my sureness, while inside I would be waiting to be found out. In reality, at 50, I knew absolutely nothing for sure and it scared the living crap out of me.
So now I’m 60 and have had a decade of intense one- on- one living with life at large. I should know something for sure by now. And yes I do. I know for sure that I know absolutely nothing for sure. But I do know that I have learned something amazing from every one of my experiences, and from life itself. In the last ten years I have shared birth and death, love and loss, endings and beginnings. And so have you. We actually experience all of this every day.
So…..what have I learned? We are never alone. We are all in this together. Competition kills equality. Giving and receiving are the same. Values demand integrity. Beliefs are just perspective, subject to change. Change is a constant. Woah...too much too soon.
So now you’re thinking, this sounds like she thinks she know a lot for sure. This is just what I think I’ve learned at this exact moment in time. I guarantee it will all change with the turn of the page. As soon as it sounds like I might have stumbled upon some truth, life will smack me with a major question to turn all these musings upside down.
So what I have learned is to question everything. My faith, my church, my relationships, my career, my thoughts, my words, my actions. What I’ve learned is to stay open to the possibility that every one of my beliefs could be wrong. What I’ve learned is that when I am on the wrong path, eventually life will shove it in my face, and if I pay attention and see what is really going on I might actually make another choice and get on the right path.
Be a student. Read. Watch. Question. Fail the test. Take it over. Find your major. Do your dissertation. Find your passion. Practice it. Then teach. Learn from your students. All of life is a classroom; Any questions?
