At what point did you realize that understanding something isn't the same as truly knowing it?

[Anonymous]

Most of us assume that if we understand something, we'll know what to do when the time comes. Life doesn't always work that way.

Has there ever been a belief you held with complete confidence, only for reality to slowly change your mind?

Not because someone argued better.

Not because you lacked intelligence, but because some things only make sense after you've lived through them.

What was that belief? and why do you think experience succeeded where knowledge couldn't?

[Telekinetic-Potato]

Uhhh, I'd switch it around. Knowledge of something. Studying it, reading and learning the facts about it will not replace experience. Experience is what gives you understanding and the better you understand something, the easier of a time you will have applying that understanding to unfamiliar circumstances.

You go to school to gain knowledge of money, but a savvy banker or investor has an understanding of money which translates to different situations.

[OneViewpoint]

Cognitive understanding of abstract concepts is never as deep as lived experience in the real world. So yeah, this happens all the time. People have a conceptual understanding of something but are shocked when they discover all the little nuances they never thought about in the physical reality.

[OneViewpoint]

When did I realize it? At an early age. But I've lived all over the planet my entire life. It's sorta hard not to notice that preconceived notions rarely survive encounters with reality.

[msc545]

It's possible to understand something without having to cope with it directly. It's not possible to cope with something adequately without understanding it first.

[eagle1951]

way back in my younger days