The Acceptable Delusions

How does one navigate life when you can never be certain about anything?

Chances are, like me, you were raised to be certain. We are conditioned from early on to seek certainty, so the idea of sitting with uncertainty doesn’t come naturally to us—we actually have to work against our conditioning. We don’t necessarily have to learn something new; if anything, we have to unlearn.

I’ll refrain from fully exploring the possibility of raising future generations to be comfortable with uncertainty. I do think it’s possible, but it would take a massive amount of unconditioning across generations to get there.

Think of all the ways we are required and conditioned to be certain. A school test, for example, demands definitive answers. You might be thinking, “Why should I or anyone care about not being certain about things?” Think of it this way: how many times have you been absolute in your certainty, only to find out later you were completely wrong?

Now imagine a doctor operating under that same rigid mindset: “I’m certain I know what’s best.” Beeeeeeeeeeep….

I don’t think accepting uncertainty means throwing up our hands and saying, “I can never be certain, so why bother?” The trick isn’t apathy; it’s simply keeping an open mind.