
“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” -Seneca
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” -Mark Twain
“All things are so very uncertain, and that’s exactly what makes me feel reassured,” -Tove Jansson
“This is the paradox we live with: We crave certainty, only to discover over and over that it is a mirage, that the love of life is rooted in the courage of uncertainty — because certainty doesn’t allow for surprise, but everything we know of life is the product of the wildest bet that prevailed against the odds of otherwise so we may exist; because certainty thrives on clear category and neat classification, but the most meaningful experiences we have inhabit the liminal spaces between the common categories of what we can name.” -Maria Popova
One way to deal with uncertainty is to fully embrace it with all your heart. Lean into it. Love it.
And if you need support for your decision to lean in, just remember, you’ve survived every single thing you thought you couldn’t handle up until this point.
You’re still here.
Why would the next hard or uncertain thing be any different?
Johnny, if I may continue your thought, I would suggest that one way to embrace uncertainty is conviction. Living in a world of uncertainty actually does not allow for either excitement or disappointment. But when your conviction shifts, when your faith is shaken – that always comes as a surprise that is well worth living for.
In dealing with refugees I am often confronted with strong opinions about life in America. Instead of arguing, I say: “I look forward to speaking to you in a few years when your opinions turn 180 degrees”. They walk away incredulous but less certain of their convictions, which opens them up to a future surprise.
Maria Popova has made a career from verbose pronouncements that sound vaguely compelling but invariably miss the point. By contrast, Seneca and Mark Twain are concise, precise and poignant. Love those guys. Thank you. Alex
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Thank you for this my friend.
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