From The Allergy to Uncertainty
Why we are so allergic to uncertainty, despite knowing that it’s the only thing certain about existence. Why do we urge people to develop a false confidence about their future (choosing one major, choosing a clear career path), when we could instead teach them how to develop a healthier relationship with the unknown?
Uncertainty is:
- a liability when optimizing for one’s productivity.
- often mischaracterized as a lack of focus.
Productivity is a system of habits and routines that allows for this cultivation of value. What this means is that productivity only works if it’s well-defined, and anything with a tight scope has little tolerance for uncertainty. Repetition only works if you know exactly what to repeat in the first place, and this is only sustainable if you believe in the vision of what you’re cycling toward.
The error we make is in believing that narrowing of attention somehow makes us more capable. While this type of mind may be a productive one, the reality is that it is far too certain of itself. It will view wonderment as a distraction, which means that this mind is one that is no longer curious, and any mind that is no longer curious is one that is dead (Corporeal Mime - GUILLAUME PIGÉ).
Certainty is rewarded because it maximizes your ability to create value, but the tradeoff is that you stop paying attention to the things that don’t obviously contribute said value. But the paradox, of course, is that the most beautiful things about life are the things that don’t yield tangible value.
Contrary to popular belief, embracing uncertainty doesn’t make you unfocused; in reality, it actually sharpens your attention over time. Because you’re okay with whatever emerges, you become far more aware of those emergences when they do indeed occur (The Power Of Now - enlightenment).
Given that the future is never certain, it’s important that we embrace that fact instead of fighting it.