Author: Christiaan van Gaal

Day 3529, on or off.

Daily picture, My thoughts

For many years, I’ve wanted to write a book. I started, had many ideas, but soon my motivation moved on. The motivation I need is the belief that what I write makes a difference, either for the people who read it or in society. These goals seem too lofty because even highly skilled, well-known writers accomplish little; there has never been a book with ‘The answers,’ otherwise we would all know about it. I write daily on my blog, but I only reach a handful of people. This writing is more of a personal exercise and challenge rather than a serious effort to reach anyone, let alone change the world.

One reason my writing needs to be meaningful is because there are already too many opinions about life, how it works, and why it exists. The problem is that too many people are overly confident in the truth of their own views. I don’t even trust most of my own opinions, and I try to live my life so that each step I take is one into the unknown. And my character makes this harder; I like to cling to my current views and even know how to sell, even to myself, all the while knowing that it all means very little.

In that sense, I am like a scientist, defending my theories while knowing that only the knowledge I have just gathered keeps this entire structure afloat. One new finding or contradiction, and it might collapse.

I live this life in my job as a manager. Answering questions with responses that I deliver like a mediocre stage performer, convincing enough when seen from the balcony, and with a bit of luck, it persuades the people in the front row, but my fellow performers see right through me. It is not all a lie, of course, some buttons have to be pressed at the right time, or rules that we agreed on have to be followed without debate, but an overconfident manager is never a good manager in my book.

Imagine a world where all managers, politicians, and religious leaders would say, ‘I don’t know,’ more than convey their convictions. Maybe we should rule more by committee; it might take longer, but what is the rush? Who has ever decided that we should get there sooner rather than later?

Day 3517, Removing the mystery of understanding.

Daily picture, My thoughts, Revisiting

David Hume wrote in his famous book, “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding,” that our thoughts are based on what we have seen before. Like imagining the golden mountain, it’s made of gold and the mountain we’ve seen before. The book goes much deeper and is considered a key work in philosophy. I don’t do it justice by highlighting this idea out of context, but still, I do.

Have you ever wondered where your thoughts come from? Do they just pop up out of nowhere? Is there something inside you that creates these thoughts from nothing? Where were your current thoughts when you were 5 years old? Do we piece our thoughts together over time? Are we just combining bits of what we’ve collected into our thoughts? Are we like the modern AI, stringing words together because they have fitted together before in our memories?

I think it’s not easy to be an original thinker. No matter what we do, we must use what we’ve learned to develop our own ideas, and only exceptional people can combine their knowledge into something truly original. It’s no coincidence that thinkers like Plato or Aristotle are still studied. They drew such deep conclusions from their experiences that hardly anyone since has matched them; we can at best follow their path and see if we can reach similar conclusions.

Imagine browsing a bookstore or social media. It seems everyone has an opinion, often equating it with that of someone who has dedicated their life to developing their views—someone who has faced all the dead ends and moved on. Climate change is a good example of an issue where many seem to have a clear understanding, even though experts struggle to fully grasp it and find solutions. As if they, the modern opinionated citizen, know the answer without the necessary experience.

We can’t imagine a golden mountain without first having seen a mountain and gold. The opinionated person can dismiss climate change without studying biogeochemical cycles, ecological and agricultural systems, or human-environment interactions. Do they question their dentist or mechanic with the same confidence?

It’s humility we need. I don’t know much about climate change, so I trust the experts—just like I listen to my doctor or trust Hume more than myself when he talks about our mind. 

What a peculiar privilege has this little agitation of the brain which we call ‘thought’.
David Hume

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Day 3515, we are wrong.

Daily picture, My thoughts, Revisiting

It is both easy and difficult for us humans to admit when we are wrong. We often recognize that we are wrong, if we do not already know that, when confronted with opposing truths, but you keep on focusing on every piece of the story supporting your side, even though you know deep down you are mistaken. When you hold on to your story for too long, you will likely lose sight of where your story started and where reality was left behind; you are now lost in your own lie.

Why do we do this? It’s hard to say, but here is a thought. We don’t like to “lose face” when confronted by someone else’s more convincing reasoning. We don’t want to be seen as incompetent after we’ve defended our truth for too long, only to be confronted by damning facts.

Even the wisest people in the world acknowledge that their understanding represents only a small fraction of the vast pool of knowledge available. This echoes the wisdom of Socrates, who famously stated, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” In recognizing that knowing more often reveals how little we actually understand. Not knowing is humanity’s default state, yet we often feel shame at admitting our ignorance. Embracing this uncertainty can open doors to greater wisdom and understanding.

People identify as scientists, Buddhists, religious, capitalists, and cling to many other kinds of truths because our inner truth is weak. Most often, we inherit these truths from our family, immediate surroundings, and the larger culture we live in. Sometimes we feel we make a choice, but one way or another, all these structures and systems are there for us to cling to and use as shields to hide our insecurities.

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