Thursday, September 6, 2012

Deer Stupid


The older I get the more I realize how little I know. Yet somehow I know that I now know more than I knew back then, when I thought I knew more than I know now.  Knowing that you don’t know is actually a 'knowing sign' that you may know more than most, who really don’t know as much as they think they know.

Confused yet? If not, good, but if so even better. 

For it is often through confusion that we best discover and remember truths IF we refuse to give in to its discomfort and diligently seek its remedy.  Diligently seeking answers gives our brain a great workout as well as imprinting a stronger memory of the lesson learned.

Some consider ‘confusion’ as a sign of intellectual weakness. And most of us have felt ‘stupid’ during moments of confusion. But confusion does not necessarily equate stupidity. Whether it be friend or foe depends on how one deals with it.

“Confusion is the first step to awareness. Confusion is the brain asking, “What does this mean?” It sets the brain in motion to connect the unknown with a known. The moment you reach a state of confusion, you should celebrate! Why? Because you are about to learn something.” ~Scott Ross
 
I agree that confusion can be destructive. And obviously someone who is continuously experiencing mental confusion may need to seek professional help. But on the most part experience has shown us that confusion can lead to either chaos or creativity depending on the mind involved.

When confusion finds a curious mind, wisdom can arrive. But for the one possessed with fear or doubt, confusion will make blind ~JDL




Have you ever seen that ‘deer in the headlight’ look? I’ve heard numerous stories of automobile-deer accidents. As the car approaches the deer is stunned and confused at the same time, leading to loss of rationality. Most deer end up making the fatal mistake of freezing or running into the car instead of away from it.

Many react just like the deer. When things in life are headed their way they often allow the confusion to paralyze them or they tend to crash into the problem instead of solving it. I know I have too many times found myself 'deer stupid.' Thankfully, I lived and then learned to make better choices.

Eventually all things fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.” ~Albert Schweitzer

I have heard well-meaning people say that ‘confusion is not of God’ and if you are confused you must be flawed in some way. They unintentionally misquote “God is not the author of confusion but of peace.’ (I Corinthians 14:33) For if one studies the context of this verse, they will find that the author was not referring to typical human confusion but was writing about his disgust with the disorderly conduct and lack of unity of the church who in the name of "God" was creating 'chaos' and 'tumult' to outsiders. 

God realizes that as humans we will have moments of confusion and uncertainty but he doesn’t label us ‘stupid’ because of it, instead he uses these moments to teach us to grow if we but trust him in the process. He is the author of 'peace' and wants the end result of our confusion to be just that. 

So whether you are confused about that math problem, which career path to take, relationships, or how to build that skyscraper or high tech software, don’t allow confusion to paralyze you. Don't be Deer Stupid! Instead, use confusion as a tool to create and also to recognize that it may just be a sign that you are more intelligent than you thought because you realize that you have a lot more to learn.
I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.” ~Socrates

3 comments:

  1. Confusion for me, sometimes means power. A power to go and solve. I love the feeling of confusion because that mean I can enjoy the process of exploration. But sometimes, I don't because the condition is sophisticated and only the willingness is not enough. However if you step out, you will think that just leaving it there is beautiful enough. Incomplete is perfect. So does the confusion:)

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  2. This is pretty cool! It's interesting how quickly connecting thoughts in a sentence can give you a workout. I agree that confusion is sense of learning, and everyone experiences it at some point in their lives.. Good stuff!

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