Focusing on what we have not what we can’t

This is the heart of the contradiction of being human. There are things that are totally true and cannot be proven. The paradoxical nature of our existence. We can show with equations what and how things work that directly contradicts how we perceive the world around us. In 1955, Einstein had written a letter addressed to Michael Besso’s family, a dear friend of his, after his death. In it, Einstein wrote:

“Now he has again preceded me a little in parting from this strange world. This has no importance. For people like us who believe in physics, the separation between past, present, and future has only the importance of an admittedly tenacious illusion.” —Albert Einstein, Condolence Letter, 1955

I take comfort in the fact that what we don’t know far outweighs what we do. So much so, we don’t even know the right questions to ask. The answers to our greatest questions will forever be out of reach. It doesn’t mean that humans should stop exploring. We just need to accept that the tension of knowing the secrets of the universe will never be fully understood and to focus on what we do know and what we can understand to achieve a life of meaning.