Are We Born with the Knowledge of Our Lives?

In some ways, yes, I do believe that we are born with the knowledge of our lives. Since I can only really speak for myself, I know I was fortunate enough to realize at a young age that the way I think and perceive life is through a raw lens, and not everyone conceptualizes life’s happenstances the same way. I have been this way since I can remember, so I’m more inclined to agree with the fact that we are born with the knowledge of our lives.

However, abstract thought does not automatically translate to "oh, I know everything I need to in order to do life right". That's not what this question is intending for you to ponder. It's pretty obvious that no one knows the answer to everything. We test, try, retest, retry, and fail before we figure it out. That's just how it goes. But chances are, if you're human, you have an ego, a family or friends, a societal structure, and a few other pressuring forces that have steered you wrong in the past, maybe even in the present. We have all of these clouded masses that hover over us and muffle the knowledge sitting within us; the knowledge that is trying to help us stay aligned to who we are.

You may ask, “what does 'are we born with the knowledge of our lives' even mean?” To which I say, I have no clear explanation. The only way I can think to describe having the knowledge of my life is by stating that I don’t have to question what that means. I don’t hesitate trying to understand the term “knowledge” here. It just simply makes sense to me in a place far deeper than my cognitive brain processes.

Knowledge presents itself when I’m in a situation that feels wrong to my core. It shows when I’m exactly where I need to be. I feel it when I’m in the midst of making a tough decision and have no idea if what’s on the other side is worthwhile. It is in the quiet corners of my soul and the loud exclamations of my purest choices. It has guided me away from what I am unaligned to and pushed me to run toward what has my name on it. It's revealed in physical form when my heart rate rises, my palms get sweaty, my heart feels like it's sitting in my throat. Knowledge is there waiting to see if I abandon it during the times everyone in the group agrees, when I have to decide to join the majority or stand my ground. It’s been there since my earliest memories and has never once left me. I have no idea if every human has his/her own “knowledge”, but I would assume that underneath all the noise and chaos of life, it is there for you, too.

You may also ask, “how do you explain all the knowledge we learn in school?” To that, I first differentiate book smarts and life smarts. Hands down, no questions asked, I was not born with the academic knowledge I acquired through schooling. I don’t believe anyone is born with all that informational knowledge, except maybe those who continuously have a genius and those who are prodigies.

I would be ignorant and outright wrong to state that we don’t learn from our experiences and other people’s wisdom. We absolutely absorb knowledge from those around us. There have been so many times people have said things they probably didn’t think twice about that I have ingrained into my daily thought patterns.

If we were meant to walk through life alone, we wouldn’t crave love, affection, physical touch, or deep connections. We would be equipped to live in solitary confinement and thrive in secluded settings, if we were designed to be solo beings. So, of course we learn from others. Of course we are little pieces of those around us. I am a complete collection of every wonderful thing people have given me and every terrible thing people have taught me. That is life in a nutshell.

On the other hand, life smarts are entirely different and deserve to be categorized separately. Every experience I have helps flush my eyes of the impurities I’m focused on. In that process, an immense amount of light is shed on the Truths that have been sitting in my soul covered up since birth. It takes time to become awakened to your Truths, but they will eventually reveal themselves when you need them.

I think of life smarts as a puzzle. All the pieces of life are inside your heart, your head, your soul, and it is only you who has the ability to piece them all together. They can be scrambled, maybe the easiest corner pieces are the only ones assembled, but at the end of the day, you intrinsically know what you have to do to create a masterpiece. Sometimes we just need the assistance of a life-changing event, a pivotal character in our story, or the beauty and authenticity of the basics of the world to remind us that all the pieces of the puzzle are inside of us, and not one piece is lost— hidden maybe, but there, nonetheless.