There Are Two Kinds Of People, Those Who Know, And Those Who Don’t

The Gnostic principle, stark in its simplicity, posits that “there are two kinds of people: those who know, and those who don’t.” At first glance, it might seem an arrogant or dismissive assertion, yet a deeper examination of human society reveals a unsettling likelihood that this ancient wisdom holds more than just a grain of truth. It points not to intellectual capacity alone, but to a fundamental difference in spiritual awareness and the engagement with reality.

Consider the vast majority whose lives appear to be a relentless pursuit of the material. Driven by an insatiable consumerism, they are caught in a dizzying current of fleeting entertainment and the curated realities of social media. Their days are often a succession of acquiring, consuming, and displaying, a treadmill of external validation that offers little in the way of lasting fulfilment. This is a life lived on the surface, where the soul’s deeper yearnings are often drowned out by the clamour of commercialism and the echo chamber of digital approval. They operate within a perceived reality defined by acquisition and sensation, largely oblivious to the deeper currents of consciousness that lie beneath the surface – a profound state of “unknowing.”

Similarly, many find solace, or perhaps submission, within the rigid confines of dogmatic religions. Here, the pursuit of truth is often outsourced, with adherents told precisely what to believe, how to worship, and what to expect in the afterlife. Independent thought, particularly concerning foundational tenets, is frequently discouraged, sometimes even punished, under the guise of heresy or spiritual disobedience. The individual’s direct experience of the divine is mediated, filtered, and controlled by an external authority, effectively stifling the very personal spiritual exploration that could lead to genuine “knowing.” Their faith, while perhaps sincere, risks becoming a set of inherited beliefs rather than a living, firsthand encounter with the sacred.

Then there is the pervasive existential dread of death, a shadow that touches nearly every human heart. The thought of one’s own mortality, the cessation of individual consciousness, can provoke profound fear and clinging. Yet, this intense, often self-centred perspective on mortality often reveals a telling hypocrisy. Many who tremble at their own impending non-existence are quite content to demand the lives of living animals as sources of food. In an age of unprecedented nutritional alternatives, where few if any people genuinely need to eat dead animals, this demand speaks to a selective application of empathy and an astonishing disconnect from the shared vitality of all sentient beings. Their own preciousness of life is not extended broadly, revealing a spiritual myopia that remains firmly in the realm of “not knowing.”

For all our technological triumphs and advancements, the evidence that humanity is becoming more broadly enlightened is curiously scarce. While brilliant minds have indeed made immense strides in behavioural psychology and spirituality, these breakthroughs are often the work of a few outstanding individuals – pioneers of consciousness whose insights are widely admired but rarely deeply integrated by the masses. We continue to grapple with high rates of crime, global conflict, deep social divisions, and stark inequality. These persistent ills suggest that humanity, as a collective, has not significantly transcended the more primitive aspects of its nature. The insights of the “knowing” few struggle to penetrate the pervasive “unknowing” of the many, who remain largely bound by ego, fear, and superficial desires.

Amidst this landscape, a relatively small contingent of individuals has always existed, drawn to explore Gnostic principles. These seekers yearn for a firsthand, unmediated relationship with the Divine – a direct engagement that bypasses the control of priests, gurus, or institutional dogma. Their path is one of inner discovery, leading to a profound and meaningful spiritual change, a metanoia that is not just intellectual assent but a fundamental reorientation of being. This liberation of spirit opens their eyes to the petty, worldly ways that consume so much of society, revealing them as shadows cast by a deeper, more vibrant reality. They are the ones who, through diligent inner work and a courageous turning inward, begin to truly “know,” experiencing a spiritual awakening that differentiates them profoundly from those who remain, however comfortably, in the realm of “not knowing.” The Gnostic principle, then, is not a judgement, but a profound observation – an invitation to awaken.