Better Than What I Don't Know

     I used to be concerned, indirectly, about what I didn't know.
As I continued in life, I realized that there was more of what I didn't
know, than what I did.  One day, something of a personal enlightened
amusement arrived.  I discovered after several post graduate degrees,
maintaining that little island of what I 'thought' I knew was dissolving. It
became evident that most of what I had learned was largely mistaken, myth,
or partial at best.
     Things like, Oh, Renoir....most people I know who have a smattering of
familiarity with the name, would render a guess

   "He's a painter isn't he?" perhaps even coupled with an intuitive leap,

   "French? ... Sounds French" 

I'd venture a guess that they had scrapped that affiliation out of their TV or movie exposure, which consisted of the big heist including the thieving away of a Renoir or a Van Gogh. (most would scrunch their eyebrows
on figuring out Vincent's nationality). 
     Now the humor of this is, I was once an art student and could tell
you the significant difference between the surrealist work of Salvador Dali
and the Cubist Pablo Picasso, they hated each other with passion for years,
perhaps because they both would have preferred being French? I
digress. 

     Today, I was rowing along in the dictionary, my favorite place to
learn new things, and stumbled across Renoir in the dictionary; a sign, by the way I would think means you made it to the big times. I pondered a very
funny question that would, perhaps, win me drinks in most bar trivia contest.  What was Renoir's full name? The follow on bonus question would be, when did he die?  Oh sure, like I'm supposed to know that?  Well, we recognize the last name, but little more; that's my very point. 

   Someone shoveled that name into our collective recollection along with quality and value and we respond with "oooh, his paintings are worth a lot of money."  Some might even go the extra distance and say, "classy" because of course you'd affiliate class with multimillions of dollars you’d need to possess if you were inclined to own a Renoir.  Right?
     Please, lets not engage in trifles of "not everyone,"  That's a given in all discussions.  Where I wandered, (not as in this message) was the realization that I didn't know particularly anything more than most on the topic.  That it was humorous to me that it didn't matter.  Not knowing doesn't judge, or blame.  It just is absence of particulars.  How liberating to embrace the notion that you don't have to accumulate all of it, the facts, dogma, rituals, policies or recipes; even dollars.  Just come as you are, and respond earnest...most likely you're in the right place in the right attire.  As Woody Allen is credited for saying,

   "Showing up is 90 per cent of success" 

As to the answer to my questions?  Ya wanna know?  Renoir's full name was Pierre Auguste Renoir and (1841-1919).  Oh and by the way, Van Gogh?  He was a preachers son from Denmark...some call paying for your own way going Dutch. Odd thing to be given credit for wouldn’t you agree?
Duality...what a rush