# Our Understanding is Limited By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2025-01-29 People’s knowledge and understanding is limited. Not some people, some of the time, but all people, all the time. The best anyone can ever do is to learn more and keep an open mind. When we approach things with this understanding, a space emerges for patience, compassion, and inquisitiveness. Such an awareness can change how we interact with each other. Rather than try to prove one is correct, one can engage with others to find out what they think and why they think what they think. It is often challenging to sustain this mindset in modern organizations. There is pressure to know and to be right. Admitting that one’s limited understanding often relegates one to subordinate positions to those who assert more confidence, perhaps arrogance. Humility is not generally respected in practice. That is a pity. Self-confident humility is beneficial for growth. If one “knows it all,” what motivation is there for development? Confirmation bias describes the human inclination to attune to information that conforms to one’s expectations subconsciously. Basically, one sees what one believes, strengthening one’s belief in what one believes. Admitting that our understanding is limited is a protection against confirmation bias. Having a complete understanding of our limited understanding enables us to question perpetually. Knowledge does not define one’s life or career. The questions on which one focuses one’s engagement do. If one asks the questions that inspire one’s heart and mind and then follows the divergent understandings that emerge, one will find solidarity with fellow travelers along that path. #### Related Items [[Understanding]] [[Knowledge]] [[Cognitive Biases]] [[Identity]] [[Reflection]] [[Solidarity]]