The difference between Knowledge and Knowing and how is that messing with your life.

It’s interesting how we can know something in our minds but still doubt it in our hearts. I wonder if that is actually knowing?

The distance between mind and heart demands to highlight the difference between knowledge and knowing; a difference that can transcend by-the-book definitions.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, knowledge is “Facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.” Which is then exemplified with “a thirst for knowledge” and “her considerable knowledge of antiques.”

The same dictionary defines Knowing as “Showing or suggesting that one has knowledge or awareness that is secret or known to only a few people.” But also, it’s by definition, “Done in full awareness or consciousness.”

In other words, knowledge is information gathered, processed and accepted in our mind. It’s even teachable. Knowledge, demands effort, process, concentration, and it’s questionable not only by the area of study, but by our soul, instinct, and fear.

However, Knowing embraces your entire being. You know something through your eyes, skin, blood, heart, mind, and every pore. Knowing feels light, effortless, and non-negotiable.

How come when we are aware of something through inquiry or information, we call it knowing?

Yes, we can go deep into the infinitive vs. gerund subject. Although the truth is that knowledge and knowing have created a relationship that allows us in casual conversation to interchange them with ease, in the human experience, they indeed contradict.

The world of knowledge is more bulky and heavy, and we still choose it to describe something that, without equations, we know is our truth.

By doing that, we relinquish our power to numbers, other people’s experiences, and even opinions. In other words, rational, systematic, and analytical studies over The Flow of a state.

I am not arguing against the in-depth study of our existence. I am only questioning our priorities, what we are doing with our words and the power they carry. How many other things are we taking without giving them much attention?

Let me put it this way.

There is an old story about a man walking down the road carrying a massive rock on his right shoulder, dragging a stack of bricks with his left hand, a mesh entangled on his feet, and a long fabric jumble over his head with loose threads moving around with the wind.

He was taking small steps now that the mesh was making the afoot messy and challenging, his right side was lagging because of the weight of the rock, you could even see his worn-out left hand trying to keep the bag of bricks moving, and the treads were hindering his view. Watching him walk was exhausting!

One day, a young boy saw him walking and asked the man.

• Why are you trying to walk with that mesh on your feet?

To which the man reacted by looking at the youngster, surprised and confused. Then, he dropped his sight to his feet and replied.

• Well, I haven’t noticed. — Next, he immediately wiggled his feet and took the mesh out to continue his path.

A few hours later, a woman crossed his path and, seeing him struggling with these fibres all over his eyes, she asked.

• Why are you walking with all that cloth blocking your sight?

To which the old man replied by looking at her, bewildered and saying.

• I wasn’t aware of it.

He finally pulled the fabric out of his top and continued his path.

To make the story short, his journey included several other encounters that brought to his attention that he was hauling stuff that he didn’t need. And at some point, he let go of all the bulky carriage and started to enjoy the path.

You see, we carry so much because of what society demands, studies have “proven,” and we were told at school. We keep putting on layers without noticing that we are covering our true selves, and we can hardly see what’s underneath. But when the night comes and we are alone, when there is no need to wear a mask, we know!

We know that there has to be more to life. There has to exist a more enjoyable, more flowing, less resistant way of living. We have a knowing!

A knowing that we used to live like that, but at some point, it slipped through our fingers, disappearing from our experience. But we still know it in each one of our cells, and the longing is predominant.

Then, the light is back on. There is a new day, and we continue with what our families have instructed us, society has determined, friends like, life “expects” from us, and so on. We chose knowledge over our deep knowing.

Let me bring to your attention that mesh in your feet, the purposeless sack of bricks, the loose fabric, the traditions, practices, teachings, studies, words, sayings, and more that are making your human experience feel like swimming upstream.

Let me ask you a question in the middle of your road, and allow you to let go.

Is this you, or what is “expected” of you?

Allow me to remind you that your life is about you and what you know. What you have learned is not precisely what you deeply know.