Ignorance

It suddenly occurs to me that one fundamental challenge in life is about how to cope with ones own ignorance. The problem is not really about not knowing enough, as a person at any particular place and time indeed can only know so much - insignificantly little - in the infinite universe over an untraceable time span. It is not even about not knowing what I do not know in general. It is about wrongly believing that I know what I actually do not know in particular, and the consequence can be unimaginably detrimental.

Anyone can readily browse over history and cite examples of catastrophe of great characters inflicting huge damages - to themselves and many other people far beyond his imagination - because of the universal cause of ignorance. But the scary truth is that one may not have the benefit of hindsight of everything until it is too late.

That's why we need education and wisdom but, most importantly, humility.