I Know Nothing

After posting in "The Myth of Fingerprints,"  about how we know others - because we are essentially all the same, in that everyone shares the wish to be happy and to avoid suffering - I am now going to contradict myself and say that we know nothing about others. (As the writer Walt Whitman famously said, the poem "Song of Myself" in Leaves of Grass, “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself; I am large - I contain multitudes.”) A lot of Buddhist ideas can seem contradictory on the most superficial level but actually aren't if you have a deeper understanding of them. Think of karma and emptiness, for instance, and how they mutually support each other.

A story Mary told me illustrates this humble mind very well.
She told me about how careful she was driving her nauseated son back from from treatments, travelling from one side of the city to another. Slowing down during turns seemed to really bother some of the drivers behind her, who would get frustrated and impatient. Now Mary tells herself that she has no idea what's happening with others and gives them a lot of slack.

It's a practice of humility, because my pride likes to believe it knows what's going on. It's a good reminder for us all not to judge others. We usually have no idea what's happening in their life or what's motivating them. Think of the way we make up stories about, for example, the strangers we see in airports, based solely on a quick scan of their outer appearance. With a humble mind, it's easier to love everyone, because we're not rushing to judgment about them.

Add to that the fact that I am completely mistaken about everything I see, thinking things exist the way they appear. Realizing how completely wrong I am about every single thing is a very effective way to dispel my pride.