How, what you don’t know that you don’t know, is biting you… and you can’t see what bit you without help
If I asked you what it is that you don’t know that you don’t know… no matter how long you looked, you would not see anything, because it is either that you don’t know or the question is stupid.
But everything that is missing for you to know is in that: what you don’t know that you don’t know.
The question is: is there a way to see what you don’t know that you don’t know? The answer is: yes… other people’s blind spots are different from yours.
And then some people specialize in that area…
Malcolm Gladwell is the guy who you want to look at for many of the “We didn’t know that we didn’t know” cultural blind spots.
We as individuals, and we as society, live life with blinders on, and we don’t know it. We want more knowledge, but we are looking at the wrong place.
Someone needs to have an extraordinary background, and the idea that most things we need to know are in the area of 1 DKDK, the biggest slice that could be known, what we don’t know that we don’t know.
We, culturally, live our whole life inside the I know that I know and I know that I don’t know, and then ask questions from there, and go to school to move stuff into I know that I know category.
In the meantime life doesn’t make sense, life has no meaning, our lives, our relationships, our societies, our science don’t work… because the answers to the questions we didn’t ask are left for extraordinary men like Malcolm Gladwell, Werner Erhard, and humble me.
But the internet, and courses, and books are full of the things we know, and even if there are things touched on: it takes someone with flexibility to be willing to go there, to follow the “things” down the rabbit hole… and see where it goes.
I had to abandon memory, and knowledge, and mind, to be able to do it. When I am on a call, oftentimes I don’t remember words. Same when I write.
I need to put all of myself into the “I don’t know that I don’t know” and look from there. No knowledge… see what I see.
Oftentimes I have no concept to wrap around what I see, and I file it away: I have no idea what I saw. But without explanation or words, these disappear.
And oftentimes, after I read a book, utterly fascinated, I don’t know what to do with it… Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers is such: I am deeply impressed, but it’s so far from what you know you know and what you know that you don’t know, that bridging it has been taking me time… and no bridge yet.
I am also reading “Blink” from Gladwell… and this is my hunch that is happening: unless I categorize people with an easy method, I am going to continue trying to cater to people who won’t do anything they get from me.
Oh, I guess you didn’t know. Most people, even when they pay me, do nothing with what I give them…
So, I am thinking that a very simple, maybe simplistic way to decide, is this: do they read the book I recommend? Do they find the time to read the Outliers, or not?
So far one person indicated that he is reading it, and I am very happy about that. That’s it.
There are 37 people who shelled out a whole sum of three dollars to have access to all the subscribers area items, a total value of a few thousand dollars. The rest of you… not interested. Very telling.
If you buy stuff from me, but you piss on my leg… what is our relationship?
Just read. No need to say the and in the eye sentence: much appreciate, blah blah blah
Please learn that, Rebecca.
LG, how would I know that I put fire under you? I never hear from you!
I’ve read all of Gladwell’s books and find them fascinating. Blink was my favorite and Outliers very revelatory. I need to re-read it with the context you have provided here. Thanks for putting the fire under us… well, let me speak for myself. Thank you for getting me off my ass and moving after years of inaction and “reflecting.”
I’m reading it too Sophie. Pretty much mind blowing so far…only on page 137. I wonder if it has anything to do with soul corrections? Much appreciate your sharing this book.
middle child of 5
It’s right before Christmas and for many people it’s the craziest, busiest time of the year. For many people, when they have time to take a look at this book, it will grab their interest and they won’t be able to put it down.
Yes, I realize I didn’t answer your question. I do see your point. But there are so many things going on in each of our lives and there may be valid reasons for not having read the book and it would be awful for people to be shut out of the opportunity for your help.
Well, you have at least two people who are reading Outliers. I started reading it when you posted your article and I’m about halfway through. The book is fascinating – I had no idea, not even a suspicion, of those factors that made people successful in those different fields. Completely unexpected. Definitely in the DKDK area of the pie chart for me.
I hope you’ll keep recommending books (and movies and TV series) to help us discover things in the DKDK area.
I got it. I am middle child of 3… I was the only one beaten… go figure
ever the peace maker you are, Kathryn, eh?
such is life. no deadline on this, by the way.
you are the third, thank you Kathryn.
I wonder if you can see my point that if someone doesn’t want to read what I recommend because it is written better by someone than I can ever explain it… I should not work with them, because if they don’t do this, they won’t do anything? I am curious of your view on this.