When pursuing knowledge, it’s crucial to remain vigilant against the many pitfalls and obstacles that can hinder our journey.
Today, I want to focus on a specific danger: Symbolic Interactionism.
This psychological theory suggests that we often associate certain qualities with specific roles based on appearances.
For instance, we might assume someone is an expert simply because they dress the part.
People tend to project qualities and traits onto individuals who seem to embody certain roles, whether consciously or subconsciously
Consider the example of an elderly man with a long white beard who fits the senex archetype—he may appear wise, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is. This cognitive bias, known as Representative Bias, stems from our tendency to think in categories to simplify a complex reality.
To overcome this, we must make a conscious effort to scrutinize these assumptions carefully, training our awareness like a muscle
This may seem like common sense, but as seekers of knowledge, we can sometimes feel disappointed when the source of wisdom doesn’t align with our expectations. Perhaps we anticipated receiving enlightenment from a गुरु (guru), only to find it in a casual conversation with a neighbour, or we expected a mystical experience in an आश्रम (ashram) but found true insight during a simple cab ride. Wisdom isn’t confined to sacred spaces like a 道观 (dàoguàn) or a 座禅(zazen) sitting; it can be found anywhere, if only we let go of our illusions and romanticized expectations.
Wisdom is both nowhere and everywhere, depending on our perspective
By shedding light on this aspect of human perception, we can work consciously to acquire knowledge without impediments.
“Rather than focusing on the gilded covers and elaborate embroidery of books, we should seek out the wisdom they hold within.“