A few weeks ago, I was talking with a group of self-identified atheists about the nature of reality.  If you've been paying any attention at all to my ruminations to this point, you have probably figured out that my philosophical and epistemological starting points are very different from, in fact, the polar opposite of people who would identify themselves in this way.  I do enjoy, however, talking with those of this ilk:  we always have stimulating conversations.
     Recently, one of these unbelieving friends, in talking about science's current inability to explain exactly how the Big Bang came to birth the universe (that is, although many may identify the Big Bang as the source of existence, they will admit that they still do not know how the Big Bang itself came to be), indicated that it is acceptable to say that, "I don't know."  In other words, we're trying to know, but we're not there yet.
     Fair enough.  There are many things a believer doesn't know, either.  None of us is omniscient.  And it's too facile to respond, "Well, God does know, and that's good enough for me," for that solves nothing:  we remain on square one.
     On the other hand, we know that we can know that we are here, and we know that we can know that we are looking for a reason as to why we are here.  This is simply the foundation and nature of human longing.
     The greater puzzle by far is that all of us, believer or not, must live by faith.  Not necessarily faith in a divine being, although it could be, but faith in that we understand that however we frame our world, we do so by faith.  How could we do otherwise?  We're finite.
     So maybe we can say that we don't know.  But in the end we must admit that we, whether we acknowledge it or not, believe we do.  We all have a starting point.