It got me thinking. Which is a good start to my day. The
chapel speaker invited us to value our own ignorance. Because it is in the absence of answers that we are most curious. Asking who, what, when, where, why and how is a handy introduction. But he posited that there are many more questions, even without such preambles. Human beings are born into ignorance, in contrast to many animals who are wired
with the instincts they need to survive.
Our five senses are themselves questions, inquiring of our surroundings "What is that smell?" or "Why does my friend look upset?"
Society isn't famous for celebrating ignorance. How many ways have we devised for dodging a question we are unsure of? Young children have no compunction about being clueless, and can fire inquiries at the speed of a train. But grown ups are more reluctant to admit a gap in knowledge.
My father explained his emphysema to me once.
"It's not precisely that I cannot breathe in. It is that I cannot breathe out."
The congestion in his lungs prohibited inhaling fresh air. It reminds me of the state of apathy that can set in when we stop being curious. Desist wondering, or absorbing new ideas. But the Lord seems willing and able to unstop such obstacles.
The blind will see, the lame will walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf will hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Luke 7
