In yesterday's posting, I started to explore how we face uncertainty through adaptation and how we sometimes have habits that get in the way of our natural and innate ability to adapt, harmonize, and heal. I pointed to how, in our attempts to be both effective and efficient, we often build rigid mechanistic control structures and systems. And that such systems have all adaptability designed out of them through being numb to what's emerging.
To focus this point even more, what really gets in our way from adapting to our uncertain and changing world is our insistence on living in a world of certainty. For the most part, we live in a Trance of Certainty. Taking our world as being certain and predictable - because, in part, it is - enables us to do so many things - from building airplane, automobiles, homes, roads, bridges, cities, etc.
But in very important ways, our world is not certain. What will happen geopolitically, environmentally, economically, technologically, and in all forms of human endeavor is far from certain. Perhaps all we can say for certain is that something will happen in each of these that we won't see coming.
In the same way that rigid mechanistic control systems are numb/blind, we too are numbed and blinded by only observing in narrowly structured ways to what's emerging. This narrow way that we observe creates a sense that we live in a certain world.
In the terms of cognitive science, we are cognitively blind. And this blindness is both unavoidable and necessary. Imagine if we couldn't be certain that the chair would still be there to land on when we started to sit down in it. We'd either never try to sit down or sitting down would be heralded as a heroic event worthy of news headlines.
To summarize, we have a natural way of being blind and unconsciously dissociated from our world. This makes the world show up as certain to us - mostly a "good" thing - but also creates the biggest barrier to adaptation (and innovation, harmonization, and healing) - mostly a "bad" thing particularly in a world where change of all kinds is accelerating.
So what are we to do? Embrace uncertainty! More on this in future postings. For now I'll leave you with a quote from the founder of the San Francisco Zen Center and a question for you to ponder.
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." - Shunryu Suzuki
In the situations where you must act - at home, at work, in relationships - what are you uncertain about? Be specific. And how does awareness of your uncertainty change how you show up in those situations. (OK ... that was really two questions.) Remember to have fun with this!
Take care,
-Steve
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