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There’s a Difference Between Certainty and Clarity
On finding courage to face the unknown
It’s hard to feel comfortable with uncertainty. We human beings like to feel solid ground beneath our feet. We cling to what is familiar, even when the familiar is sometimes intolerable. We want to believe that if we just stay the course, eventually things will go back to “normal”.
When we feel anxious, we search for “knowledge” that will allay our fears. We depend on our intellect for answers. But, because all of us have limited knowledge in certain areas, we turn to the “experts” to explain the “facts”.
“Usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing.” Thich Nhat Hanh
And, once we have made up our minds to believe a certain point of view, we feel certain that our point of view is the correct point of view. We seek out more “knowledge” that supports our chosen viewpoint, and our neural pathways work to solidify that viewpoint in our brains.
We all have deeply grooved neural pathways in our brains. This is our habit energy. This is our brain on auto-pilot. And while auto-pilot is necessary for survival (imagine if our brain had to…
