There's a Difference Between Certainty and Clarity

On finding courage to face the unknown

Photo by Joshua Kettle on Unsplash

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 relearn how to pick up a fork every time we wanted to eat), it does not serve us well when it comes to seeing situations clearly and recognizing alternatives.

So, we keep going about things the same old way, even when that way is not working. We stay stuck in a rut. We stay stuck in old beliefs.

All things constantly change, no matter how much we cling to what is familiar. Yet, most of us would rather keep traveling on the path that is most familiar to us in the false belief that we will be safer. Even when that path is intolerable.

“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar” — Thich Nhat Hanh

If we are honest with ourselves, we will acknowledge the truism of the saying, “what we resist, persists.” We aren’t escaping our anxiety when we cling to the familiar, we are actually exacerbating it, while at the same time closing ourselves off to possible solutions for our problems.

I’ve been thinking a lot about clearheadedness these past few weeks as I observe people freaking out over the results of the recent election. All sorts of dire predictions are being made about what certainly is headed our way.

There is great cause for concern, but not solely because Donald Trump was elected President. Our country has been falling apart for decades. It’s been getting worse under both Democrats and Republicans.

Then the travelers divided into two parties ; one decided not to stop, but to keep going in the direction that they had been going, assuring themselves and the others that they had not wandered from the right road, and were sure to reach their journey's end.

The other party decided that, as the direction in which they were now going was evidently not the right one otherwise they would long ago have reached the journey's end it was necessary to find the road, and in order to find it, it was requisite that without delay they should move as rapidly as possible in all directions. All the travelers were divided between these two opinions : some decided to keep going straight ahead, the others decided to make trials in all directions ; but there was one man who, without sharing either opinion, declared that before continuing in the direction in which they had been going, or beginning to move rapidly in all directions, hoping that by this means they might find the right way, it was necessary first of all to pause and deliberate on their situation, and then after due deliberation to decide on one thing or the other.

But the travelers were so excited by the disturbance, were so alarmed at their situation, they were so desirous of flattering themselves with the hope that they had not lost their way, but had only temporarily wandered from the road, and would soon find it again, and, above all, they had such a desire to forget their terror by moving about, that this opinion was met with universal indignation, with reproaches, and with the ridicule of those of both parties. — Leo Tolstoy, Three Parables

Now is a time for clarity. We can’t find clarity when we are caught up in fear and anxiety. We need to pause, to step away from the constant messaging of the media that keeps us believing that we must divide ourselves into separate camps if we are to survive.

Because the ruling elites understand that as long as we are busy fighting with one another, we won’t pay attention to the erosion of our rights going on right under our noses.

They keep us fixated on stories of immigrants eating pets or misogynists who refuse to vote for a woman. And while an unaware populace sucks up all the drama, lobbyists continue to write the laws passed by Congress, the tech giants allow more spooks to control what we see on social media, and our precious planet continues on its death spiral.

None of us can say with certainty what the future holds. There is no certainty. That doesn’t mean that there is nothing we can do. Instead of aiming for certainty, we should practice finding clarity. A clear mind is a calm mind.

The words ‘I have arrived, I’m home’ remind us to dwell in the present moment. We have already arrived, we are already home. We can breathe and just be: “I have arrived, I’m home’ is your practice to survive. It’s not a luxury. If you cannot be yourself, if you don’t know how to handle your fear, despair, anger in you, you are lost. You cannot help any other people. You cannot help your people. You cannot help your country.” —Thich Nhat Hanh

So, the next time you find yourself hyped-up by the breaking news of the mainstream media, take a pause. Breathe. Take a few tips from the good people at Project Censored, and learn how to discover the hidden agenda behind the story.

Seek clarity, not certainty.