Contents
We are afraid of uncertainty, afraid of the unknown, worried about the uncertainty of the outcome. There is nothing surprising in this, and yet it seriously limits us, binds us hand and foot, and prevents us from taking an important step. How to change this approach to life and tomorrow?
The unknown is scary – and that’s normal and understandable. We got used to this state and stopped noticing it, because we learned to predict, control, plan and believe. We have learned to subdue the uncertainty of tomorrow, trusting our own consciousness, drawing a picture of the future based on previous experience. In work, in relationships, and in matters of love, we would like to know where we are going, what we will get, or at least we can get. To take the next step, we need to know where to put our foot.
Trust in life
The attitude to the unknown is the attitude to life in general. What happens in a second is not known for certain. But after all, when reading this text, you do not worry and do not seek to control the author and control his thoughts. You trust the obscurity of each new line.
Trust in the scenario of life is trust in the invisible director, if you will, in the principles by which the plot of the play develops. Even if we are not aware of these principles, this should not frighten us, although the unconscious tends to throw a lot of threats – from the most insignificant to the most fundamental.
“God knows what!”
It is this expression that we use to show the degree of absurdity and unpredictability. If God knows, then human rationality will only shrug. “Anything can happen!” we exclaim, making predictions for the future.
But if you think about it, have there been so many moments in your life when “anything” actually happened? Most likely, no more than 10 out of 100. We tend to ignore the general rules and think in the possibility, but our reality is quite rational and predictable – although, of course, not without surprises. So why is the unknown scary?
Knowledge as support
When we find ourselves in an unfamiliar situation with a high degree of frustration and stress, consciousness tries to find support. If it is absent, we feel vulnerability and fragility – not only our own, but also the world, because it seems to us that it is about to collapse. It is important for us to hold on to something solid, to stand firmly on our feet. The only goal is to gain support so as not to fall into the abyss of despair. Stability is salvation to survive.
Having survived, we forget that that support was only a temporary crutch, and by inertia we continue to hold on to it, even when there is no need – we grow together with it, losing our autonomy. Such “crutches” can be not only material things or even people, but also beliefs, ideas, the role of which is to give us support. You can cope with the unknown through the known – knowledge gives the same stability and predictability.
The world is full of mysteries
Now imagine that we know everything and are XNUMX% sure of everything. So not for long to lose lightness and ease, spontaneity and interest. Knowledge ceases to give us proper freedom, it transfers our personality into the mode of possession. We stop playing – we have everything under control, we know everything. We no longer have a childish reaction to something big and unknown that delights with its power and inaccessibility.
But the real world is beautiful, despite its incomprehensibility to our mind. Uncertainty is a source of freshness, the main condition so that boredom does not take over our lives. And if you remove the label “frightening” and “uncontrollable” from the unknown, you can again learn to enjoy the moments of life, find the mood of a researcher, trust in the future and freedom to grow and conquer new heights.
The magic of a new day
Despite the predictability, each new day has a potential that has not yet been updated. The actualization of this potential depends not only on us – we play the role of a musical instrument in the hands of a master. The uncertainty of a new day is recreated through our lives.
That’s why it’s good to ask yourself important questions. What am I really afraid of when I’m afraid of the unknown? What do I expect from the unknown? Am I more afraid of the unknown or the known? Why, if nothing is clear yet, am I waiting for the negative? What or whom do I trust more: myself or life? What really scares me is relevant to this situation? What would I prefer: a world where everything is known, or one where nothing is known? What is the worst thing that can actually happen? What will I start thinking about if I stop worrying about the unknown future?
With this approach, the unknown ceases to be something frightening and shapeless, but becomes life itself. If we learn to trust life, ourselves, our nature and consciousness, then we will stop being afraid of the unknown. No matter what the plot develops, no matter what happens in life, we will always have ourselves and this world.
About the Developer
Maria Volodina – Philosopher, coach : teaches to think effectively, helps to see difficult situations from different angles and find different solutions. Conducts individual and group work, as well as marathons on critical thinking and on eternal philosophical topics: love, happiness, death, etc.