Humility and Arrogance

As I continue to make my way through Heschel's "God in Search of Man," I continue to stumble upon thought-provoking nuggets.

First, "Wisdom is beyond our reach. We are unable to attain insight into the ultimate meaning and purpose of things." (p.54). Then, "The deeper we search the nearer we arrive at knowing that we do not know." (p. 57).

I've always been partial to this type of thinking, believing that the more we come to know the more we realize we will never know. As human beings, our knowledge is limited. We would be best to remember our limitations. As I have learned more and more about the oil spill in the Gulf, I see it more and more as the result of human arrogance. From BP to the government, there seemed to be little concern of our ability to control nature, little concern over our ability to predict any catastrophe, thereby making it easy to address and resolve. If the length of that disaster (2 and a half months and counting), and even the recent storms and tornadoes here in north central Indiana, teach us anything it should be that we should express a bit more humility towards nature, and more respect for its power.

Obviously, Heschel, in speaking in terms of Judaic Philosophy, is not concerned with humility in the face of nature's power. But the lesson of humility continues to be stressed. Once we come to grips with the limitations on our knowledge and ability to understand all, we can experience the divine in a more free way; free of how our limited conceptions may restrain and diminish unnecessarily.

"The world is something we apprehend but cannot comprehend." (p. 58).