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Letter #2 – The ignorance list

Posted on 17. Nov, 2011 by Brett in Leadership

Letter #2 – The ignorance list
From: Brett Trapp – Nov 17, 2011
To: Brett Trapp – Nov 17, 2001

Dear Brett,

Well, this is it. Your last day in your teens, my last day in my 20s. Hopefully you’re seeing that life only sprints. It doesn’t know how to crawl.

In your late 20s you’ll start becoming a lot more aware of life and how you fit in the world. Part of this dawning self-awareness is discovering what you don’t know, what you weren’t taught. Yes, you grew up with great parents, went to great schools, and have even gotten to travel some. But still, there are things you weren’t taught. Here’s a starter list…

• Good music
• Art
• Fashion
• Church history
• Good theology
• Humor
• Nutrition
• Fitness
• Business
• Personal finance
• Investing
• Wine/cigars
• Loyalty
• How to shoot a gun
• How to play a musical instrument
• How to speak a foreign language
• How to tie a tie (Youtube doesn’t count)
• How to change a tire
• How to build/fix things
• How to handle conflict
• How to express your emotions properly
• How to be a brother
• How to bowl
• How to play golf (dad tried…this one’s on you, Brett)
• How to drive in a big city
• How to play poker
• How a suit should fit

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why do I need to know that stuff? Well, maybe you don’t.

But maybe you do.

What a shame that we go through life not knowing what we don’t know! There is a gloriousness in ignorance–specific, catalogued, documented ignorance. It frees your spirit to be curious, to not have to fake it so people think you’re well-cultured, well-heeled, well-versed. It frees you from the burden of having to know all the answers, or at least in making people think you do.

You’ll notice that a lot of this is fathering stuff as well–either things that dad couldn’t teach you or didn’t teach you because he died last year. You never stop needing to be fathered, Brett–no matter how old you get. Own up to your ignorance. Embrace your fatherlessness. Once you do, you’ll find a lot of freedom, and you’ll awaken to the truth that God has put people around you to educate, mentor, and father. Ignorance is great, but we’re not designed to stay there.

The list above is just a start and I’m excited about the next decade of discovering more things I don’t know. Everyone has an ignorance list, Brett. They all look different, but everyone has one. Now you know yours.

We’ll wake up in a new decade of life tomorrow. Sweet dreams.

-Brett

P.S. Not all your presidents will be white.