Even after days, months and years together have collected like newspapers tucked behind the windy bridges of the world, we cannot say we know someone entirely. Not family, not friends nor lovers can be ever utterly 'known', which is wonderful and exactly as it should be.
Our personality, (and thereby our thoughts, our words and our actions) comes from the part of us that is infinitely alive, the spirit.
We have transient form, like flame. Our interests, hobbies and preferences evolve or not, but they deepen and change. Experiences shape us, kiss us, hug us or bruise and scar us. We flicker, we steady, we spark, we grow intense, we fade but we burn upwards, we rise, always rise, even as our candle burns low.
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Despite being utterly non observant nowadays, I find there are some ideas, specifically Kabbalah rooted-Hasidic principles, which profoundly resound within me and always will. I apply them to my life whenever possible.
Such as, in Hasidic philosophy, there are three levels of learning before you can consider the information entirely integrated...
Chachmah (knowledge)
Binah (wisdom)
Da'as (understanding)
I use these ideas in conversation. especially a conversation with any kind of gravity or substance.
First, I listen to what I know they are saying, the actual content of the words (Chachmah) .
Next, with what I know (Binah) my own wisdom and experience, I listen for not only what what they mean to say but what they are not putting in to words, between the lines if you will. I also pay attention to context. This will give me an idea of what they are truly trying to communicate.
Lastly, I want to understand and internalize the message (Da'as) . If it is something they want advice on, I really want to think it through before responding. This is the final idea of understanding, where the knowledge and wisdom becomes part of you, ready to be applied even unconsciously.
There is much to know and learn, and to truly learn means not just width of learning but depth learning...
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