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Embrace uncertainty to really live


About Philosophically

I think, therefore I am.


It's the perfect way to create a sense of urgency and adventure in yourself.

I suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Embrace the uncertainties of life to enjoy the wonder.

Embrace the uncertainties of life to enjoy the wonder. Picture: Shutterstock

As a result, I am a ‘tidy freak’. There is nothing I can do about it. It is just the way I am.

Fortunately, I don't suffer from the type of OCD that would have me checking that I have locked the door over and again. Some call this the ‘belt and braces effect’.

People who check the door repeatedly to make make sure it is locked are looking for certainty. They want to be sure that the door is secure and they are safe. While very few human beings suffer from this form of OCD, most crave certainty.

The fact that Australian voters have rejected 44 of the 48 referendums held in Australia reflects this craving. That voters tend to support the status quo in times of crisis demonstrates the thinking that we are better off with the devil we know - and reflects a desire for certainty. 

The fear of the word ‘innovation’ among working-class people reflects that desire.

Marriage is, at one level, an attempt to create the illusion that you have certainty that your partner will be faithful and hang around until death do you part. And for years there was the notion that if you got a job with a bank or in the public service, you would have certainty of employment.

Most Australians have a real fear of change, which is the enemy of certainty. The irony here though, is that change is more certain than certainty.

It's been suggested that in a society where we are moving rapidly towards what Abraham Maslow called ‘self-actualisation’, for most, certainty is the first and foremost of six things people are looking for in life. The other five are variety, connection, significance, growth and contribution. But none are more important than certainty.

When people talk of karma, they are looking for certainty in terms of how life may be explained and of a higher force to ensure justice. When they seek higher education, most are seeking certainty of landing a good job, rather than a mind-expanding experience that will make their life more complete. When people try to explain the unexplainable (as many things are) they are looking for the certainty that there is a reason for and purpose to everything. When people pray, they want greater certainty that tomorrow will be okay.

But the fact is, despite all of this need for certainty, it simply does not exist. There is no certainty. The only things that are certain are change and uncertainty. This is why the search for and craving of certainty can and should be described as pathetic. It is also counter-productive and can erode the valid quest for happiness.

I believe human beings are better served embracing uncertainty and the wonders this can bring. Embracing uncertainty has the effect of pushing outside of an invalid comfort zone and forcing us to develop strategies to deal with, and even make the most of, uncertainty.

There is no certainty that there is a God or afterlife, no matter how hard people work to convince themselves and others that there is. There is no certainty that a government that did well in its last term will do well in its next.

It is not sound thinking to rely on astrology, determinism or karma to help bring a sense of certainty into your life. There is no certainty at all that your education will deliver you a job, or that the people who love you today will love you tomorrow. There is no such thing as certainty of employment, and I would argue that this is largely a good thing. Good or bad, it is now an illusion. Certainty in all of its forms is simply not attainable.

There is no certainty that you will have a job tomorrow, that you will be breathing tomorrow or even that the sun will rise tomorrow.

If you can embrace these obvious facts, it will help to create in you a sense of urgency and adventure.

It you can embrace uncertainty, you will be more likely to look for opportunities than can make your life interesting.

You will potentially have more chance of breathing to live, rather than living to breathe.

To chase the unattainable is, to me, rather naff! I would have thought it much smarter to recognise uncertainty and look for the opportunities it offers.

No matter where you parked your car an hour ago, there is absolutely no certainty that it is still there.

Voting for Pauline Hanson, Tony Abbott or Donald Trump wll not slow the rate of change and the prevalence of uncertainty. Stop looking for what is not there!!

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