What We Know That Just Ain't So

Have you ever looked at a magician performing a trick and tried to figure it out.  The trick is always always always in the place where you think its not.  Ask yourself what part of the trick do I know for sure, the box is empty, the cup is solid, the page is blank, there you will find the trick.

I think that the problem is not the unknown unknowns.  It is the things that we put into the known column, but are really unknowns.  Or as that old saying goes, "It's not what we don't know, it what we do know but just ain't so."

In education, there isn't anything harder to break through than a long held misconception.  You understand the world is like this, but it is really like that.  It is not true that your blood is blue sometimes and red at others, men don't have less ribs than women and water does not go down a drain differently in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere.  (Really!)  The problem is what we know but just ain't so.

This is a particular challenge when it comes to making life decisions.  We think that the best course is this but later discover that it should have been that.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3: 5-6

When faced with a problem there are certain things that I know to be true.  

• Most problems are solved by either by hard work or ignoring it and letting it solve itself.
• Most decisions are best decided by weighing the costs, benefits and risks.
• If I am worried about being caught, it's probably a bad idea.

But what if these are the things I know that just ain't so?  What if the best course is one that makes absolutely no sense, that I am somewhat embarrassed by that sounds crazy when I say it out loud.  It is only by trusting in God and getting in the habit of seeking His wisdom that we can know the difference.