I Don’t Know…But This Could Make Sense…

Lately I’ve found myself saying “I don’t know” a lot. And more often then not, it is actually said more in a tone of sheer uncertainty, containing the “just” as in “I just don’t know…”

As much as I’d like to know everything, I am humbly taken aside and fully aware that that can never be the case. Still, as I believe most humans tend to do, I am quick to try to find the “know.” Give me an explanation that seems logical and I can normally go on with my day without second guessing it. I mean why worry about that which is explained, right?

I recently thought about the connection between God and the unconscious. Well, you very well might not see a connection, or a similarity, but let me try to explain and if you still don’t see it, feel free to say, “I don’t know.” HA!

Many times I have had God explained to me as a complexity that is completely beyond man’s understanding, as well as as an entity whose existence or nonexistence can never truly be proven by man. None of us have ever physically seen God, but so many still believe.

I see the unconscious in a similar little. I am not saying I’m comparing God and the unconscious as if they are valued similarity, that’s not the case at all. What I am saying, however, is I think the unconscious truly is beyond man’s understanding. I don’t believe man has or ever will be able to prove the unconscious exists or that it doesn’t exist. You obviously can’t see this entity that so many social scientists commonly refer to as our unconscious, but still many are quick to believe in it.

While these similarities are interesting to me, there is still another similarity that I think is the most interesting of them all.

Both God and the unconscious are quick resorts for explaining the unknown—that in which man can not seem to grasp or understand. I mean if man can never prove the existence or nonexistence of either entity, why not use them to explain other phenomena, because at least then that explanation can’t be later proven to not be the case by disproving God or the unconscious.

But it goes deeper than that. How often does one who believes in God use His existence to explain or answer what they can not put an explanation to them selves? Look at how quick is man to say, “Well it’s because of God; that’s the only explanation. It’s a God thing.” With the extent to God’s complexity that man IS able to understand and believe in, man can use that portion to say, “yes, that makes sense. It is a God thing.” Example being that, man believes God is this way, so since that is the case, then yes, it makes sense to explain this with God as the explanation. When we can make it “make sense,” we are able to accept it as an explanation.

I truly believe it is the same with the unconscious. I’m a HUGE fan of the unconscious. No, like everyone else, I’ll never fully understand it, but that doesn’t keep me from believing in it. Often times I find myself explaining behaviors or reasoning why behaviors occurred as they did with the explanation of the unconscious. Why we do what we do is not always clear. Sometimes “I just don’t know” why, but I can make sense of it by explaining it as an act of the unconscious. And when I can use that explanation, and feel a sense of comfort in it, I will gladly accept it.

Just as God is viewed as powerful, I’ve no doubt that the unconscious has quite the power over us. [Once again, please do not see me as comparing the levels of power here, I’m similar comparing the states of description.]

I don’t know why we are drawn to people of the opposite sex, or why we are drawn to people of the same sex, but having made an unconscious decision to be attracted to that sex because of experiences that we had in the past could make sense to me, so I can accept that.

You don’t know why you and your significant other fell apart and ended up splitting up, but God could have another plan for you with someone else and that could make sense to you, so you can accept it.

I think we all have our beliefs that we can turn to to explain that in which we can’t explain in other ways. I am thankful for that.