The Caveman sat in his Cave dressed in clothes of coarse cloth and contemplated the paucity of his understanding, I do not know, he thought to himself.
The Queen sat upon her throne in the great hall, dressed in fine silk robes and bedecked with jewellery. She contemplated her inability to discover the truths with which she might rule the land. I do not know, she thought to herself.
The black satin ball rolled endlessly across the never-ending black satin plain.
No one knew whether to be amused or afraid.
Nobody knew whether to run towards it or away.
No one knew the meaning nor impact.
The wise men and women knew well that they did not know.
The fools shouted false truths from the rooftops and whispered in corners.
The wise women convened a conference and performed an experiment.
The wise men withdrew to meditate upon a mountain.
The wise women confirmed by their endeavours that they did not know and decide to withdraw to the mountains to meditate.
When the wise men, having meditated upon the mountain, came down to form a quorum that might decide upon a course of action.
Halfway up, or respectively, halfway down the mountain, the wise women and wise men met.
They cried as one, We do not know!
The fools took their own advice and embarked upon a fools errand of no import other than when the wise people tripped over them.
The wise women, having given meditating on the mountain one last bash, came down to find that the wise men’s course of action had dissipated like water in the sand. Neither had succeed in revealing the greatest of mysteries nor framed the correct question which might lead to that revelation.
Thus, they decided, that although the wit of men and women is great, that their ingenuity is without equal, that their minds may inquire into the furthest reaches of the universe, both within and without, that they can learn, understand and improve great concepts and engines, in the final analysis, they knew nothing.
They decided that however high their minds might fly, that the most honest statement a person could make was, I don’t know.
The Guardians of the Cave 