Before we begin trying to enlighten humanity, perhaps we should acknowledge one small complication: Humanity already has quite a lot of opinions. Some of us are certain science has all the answers. Others are equally certain spirituality does. Some trust institutions, some question everything, and a few of us have reached the highly advanced spiritual state of arguing with strangers on the Internet before breakfast. So perhaps enlightenment should begin with something simple: curiosity.

Have you heard the saying that young people know everything, middle-aged people trust nothing, and older people believe everything? I am not sure who came up with it, but lately I have been thinking that perhaps it needs a small correction. The longer I am on this planet, the more I learn, the more I experience, and the more people I meet, the easier it becomes for me to admit something that would have horrified my younger self: I don’t know everything.