Raising a Glass to the Unknown

Some thoughts on embracing uncertainty by way of my conscious attempt to welcome it more graciously into my own life

Unpredictability.

Inconsistency.

Variability.

Unreliability.

Risk. Chance. Doubt. Reservation.

Does this list of words make you squirm with anxiety? Perhaps it is giving you a little shake in your boots. Well, it should — in a very good, exhilarating way.

There is an unattractive stigma around the idea of uncertainty.

“Well, if I don’t know now…how will I ever know?”

All we can really know is that life is deeply uncertain. Everything about it is unpredictable, and filled with magnificent (I mean really amazing f*cking things), prodigious (I mean, larger than life and waaay bigger than you, young Padawan), and terrible (sometimes really terrible) things.

The only consistency in life is indeed the consistency of absolute inconsistency.

Say that five times fast.

Why is it that so many people suffer in the mindset of muddling through the complexity of the inherent unpredictability of our livelihood? We spend colossal amounts of time making picture-perfect plans and being closed minded to the beautiful potential of what we simply do not know.

Plans. Schedules. Expectations.

People seek comfort in these things. We hide behind them out of fear of releasing our tight grip on the false reality that we have any say in what happens next. Or how things will turn out tomorrow. Or what things will look like next year.

The point that I want to make here isn’t simply about accepting uncertainty.

I think it’s important to revel in it. To celebrate its ineluctable vigor and constant shifting nature.

Life is a process. There is no end all be all. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll never find it. If you don’t spend time and energy being okay with being a human bean and muddling through the shear complexity we call living, you just won’t experience the vast potential that lies within the realm of the unknown.

Be curious. Be uncomfortable. Ask questions. Look for answers to them, but be considerate of the fact that sometimes there are ten right answers and one wrong answer.

Don’t just embrace uncertainty, explore it. Dive in and take a swim in its dark, yet beautiful waters. Put yourself in some fishy situations. Say hi to that guy or girl who smiles at you bashfully in the hallway. Talk to some strangers. Ask questions. Jump out of a plane with the hope that some manmade concoction in the shape of an umbrella will harness enough air to save you on the way down. Design some crazy and shameless interface and show it to people that will shut it down. Ask more questions. Travel. See what’s going on down the street. Or across the Pacific. At the North Pole. Eat something weird. Read books that make you angry. Read things that challenge your worldview. Question humanity and the people around you. Be critical. Keep asking questions.

Don’t just be. Be unsure.

And that is the end of my cliche “this is what life’s all about” rant. I hope it stirred something up in you.