Knowledge is Constant Change........

“To Be Is to Be Perceived” – Berkeley and the Exams of Life

You all might be wondering why I haven’t written for so many days.
Well, let me confess — I was going through the worst part of a student’s life. Yes, you guessed it: exams.

I study well, but writing all of it again on paper? That’s the real headache. I believe everyone reading this will agree — exams are that special kind of torture where you know everything yet feel like knowing nothing.

All this while, even though I was under pressure to do well, I felt meaningless and empty. I felt totally useless. Maybe the knowledge I had stopped making sense, and I was simply going through the motions. And trust me, that feeling is worse than debating the existence of God between the rationalists and empiricists.

We’re all searching for deep answers — just like they were. Maybe even they suffered because life pushed them to. They wanted answers to feel content. And today, I’m no different. I too am asking questions, craving that understanding, that inner peace, that elusive “Ah! I finally get life” moment.

Sometimes I think life is more than just God, soul, knowledge, ethics, or metaphysics. Because when we reduce life to these terms, we limit it.

Kant and the Limits of Knowing

Immanuel Kant once asked: How can humans ever find what God truly wants or how He created us? We are the smallest beings in an infinite universe. The internal laws of our mind cannot be applied externally.

We’ve built religions, morality, proofs of God, and theories of existence — all to understand in our own limited way. But certainty? That’s impossible.

So maybe the only thing that should matter to us is living a life of satisfaction, a life of happiness. And honestly, that’s enough.

The Wisdom of Zakir Khan and My Dad

My favorite comedian Zakir Khan says: “If a person has lived on this earth for about 25 years, he is already an intelligent person. His intelligence may be different from yours — because his experiences are different.”

Life isn’t just about science, arts, or commerce; it’s about listening to people. Everyone carries a different story, a different philosophy. If we learn to listen, we’ll find new meanings everywhere.

Even I’m in that struggle — to be understood by someone, to find that one listening ear.

And if there’s one person who has always given me that, it’s my Dad. He’s the only one who has ever said, “Do whatever you want. Go ahead. I’m with you.” Even when I left home, he said the same. What else could I possibly want? The best dad ever.

I just hope that one day I can be that same listening ear for him — the one he can rely on. The same goes for my brother, my companions, my friends.

Philosophy, Confusion, and Self-Discovery

In the wide stream of philosophy — Western, Indian, Logic, World Religions, Tribal and Dalit Philosophy — I’ve noticed something. Learning all these perspectives doesn’t just fill your head; it gives you orientational knowledge. It helps you form a worldview.

But the real-life application — the living knowledge — that’s something else. That comes later, and that’s the hardest part.

These past days, I’ve been failing to understand myself — the person I am, and the person I’m meant to be. It’s a struggle, and maybe some of you are in the same boat. That helplessness? It controls me sometimes.

As you go ahead in life, you keep discovering yourself — and sometimes, you lose yourself completely. Maybe that’s the correct process.

Hume and the Flux of Being

David Hume said that we live in a constant perceptual flux — meaning we’re never constant; we’re always changing. You get what I’m saying, right?

He also said we never make purely rational decisions. We’re always caught in a flux of cause and effect — and even God, according to him, isn’t exempt from this deterministic rule.

I don’t know about you all, but I believe everything in this world is guided by motives, and everyone is naturally partial.

We are destined to live with contradictions — and I’ve learned to accept that. Because without contradictions, no new creation ever happens.

Religion, Love, and Human Contradictions

In this whole quest for meaning, we forget something: all religions in this world were created by humans.

Yes, there was divine intervention, a context, and a need — but fundamentally, they were created out of love, acceptance, and generosity, the core values of human life.

Just imagine if we actually lived by these values — what a world that would be!

Though I’m a sinner, probably the worst person to say this, I still desire it.

Regret, Love, and Listening

Recently, I’ve been feeling that in life, I’ve been very selfish. People who supported me — I never really thought about what they go through. They always listened, but I never asked.

I regret that.

I wish I could be that same support for them someday — the way I wish to be for my dad.

If you learn to acknowledge the people who are always there for you, life becomes a lot easier. Even during your toughest times.

All this knowledge and philosophy doesn’t matter compared to that one person who comes running to help you when you need it.

The Big Questions (With a Small Smile)

Now I’m at a point where I ask: What do I really want? Who am I truly?

And no, don’t start gossiping after reading this. There are plenty of ready-made answers, but I’m searching for my own — the one that’s uniquely mine.

And I hope you find yours too.

At last, always remember — true knowledge begins when you allow people to speak and you simply listen.

Student of Philosophy – Rohan Brahmane SJ