How Comfortable Are You With Uncertainty ?

[Bro. Hex]

I am constantly amazed at the number of time on this forum that I run into questions (or statements) that involve the concepts of "proof" or "absolute certainty". It occurs to me that some of us "have to know for certain" about things that others here consider "unknowable".

So, I pose these questions:

How comfortable are you with doubt?.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

Whichever you choose, do you know "why" you are the way you are?

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

[Dorian Gray]

See my sig line...

[Fawzo]

The Taoist in me just rolls with the flow and doesn't want to know the future but I do enjoy situations where I have some semblance of control most times.

[Brother Kaman]

I am constantly amazed at the number of time on this forum that I run into questions (or statements) that involve the concepts of "proof" or "absolute certainty". It occurs to me that some of us "have to know for certain" about things that others here consider "unknowable".

So, I pose these questions:

How comfortable are you with doubt?

It is easy for me to doubt things of a spiritual nature because no one knows those things to a certainty. If I were to doubt my wife's affections, however, the doubt would be very uncomfortable to the point of pain.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

There are some things that are black and white. I know that I am me. I know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, etc. Many, many other things to me are shades of gray such as good and bad, what is funny and what is not. How can it be else?

Whichever you choose, do you know "why" you are the way you are?

I am a shade of gray.

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

When the chips are down and you have to pull the trigger, certainty is a very good thing. If you lock yourself into certainty and do not allow new data to flow and will not alter yourself in spite of new facts, then certainty is a weakness.

[Dan56]

How comfortable are you with doubt?.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

Whichever you choose, do you know "why" you are the way you are?

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

What I believe is black and white and I have little to no doubt about it. 'Certainty' is a strength when its true, but a disaster when its not. I doubt that anyone is comfortable with shades of gray and doubt, we all want to know what's what. I am what I believe, the truth I've accepted defines me.

[kokigami]

I am comfortable in uncertainty, mostly.

[panpareil]

I doubt everything on a rational level. I trust my feelings.

All is not grey, it is color in an infinite number of bits.

I am the way I am because I have chosen to be that way, or because I have chosen to not do what is necessary to be what I desire. Environment is a limit that knowledge can overcome.

Certainty is irrelevant. Determination and a clear vision are essential.

[constantine319]

I am constantly amazed at the number of time on this forum that I run into questions (or statements) that involve the concepts of "proof" or "absolute certainty". It occurs to me that some of us "have to know for certain" about things that others here consider "unknowable".

So, I pose these questions:

How comfortable are you with doubt?.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

Whichever you choose, do you know "why" you are the way you are?

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

I have a few things I am firm about - like, that I need to drink plenty of water during the day, or get plenty of sleep (or I turn into a cranky monster)... but what are those limits? When have I had enough water? is it 60 oz? or 80? Is 8 hours of sleep a night enough? What if those are interrupted hours? What if I am so restless that I can't really get much sleep that night?

(these are really the things that I think about on a daily basis. As you can imagine it gets quite annoying to some around me )

There are too many variables (at least, for me) to be totally convinced or devoted to much. I live in a world where I am constantly weighing the 'black and white' nature of concepts, beliefs, theories, etc. It really bothers some of my friends who seem to ascribe to a more black and white convention.

Through lots of trial and error I've learned that there is a beneficial side to uncertainty, although I would really struggle to say 'all uncertainty is actually a good thing'... because, technically, in the moment of uncertainty, we are experiencing doubt, which can be quite traumatic for some people, depending on the weight/effect it has on one. I consider uncertainty to be a challenge with a juicy reward at the end, rather than as a 'good' or 'bad' thing... more like a door which we can choose to walk through and gain a new treasure, or ignore and always wonder what's behind it.

I think I am the way that I am because I have realized there is no 'one size fits all' to life and although the problem-solver part of me really likes knowing where those lines are... I know that having gray areas and having uncertainty has lead me to be a better person. If that makes sense

great topic! looking forward to seeing what others have to share.

[musicman153]

The only thing that is certain in this moment. Its all we have.

The past is gone! Is it certain? The way you rememer it may not be the same as the way way someone else remembers it.

The future is definetly uncertain but does it matter? Being in this moment what we do now (this moment) will decide what the future brings. Anxiety about the uncertain future will cause stress which leads to poor decision making, not to mention make you fail to realize how joyful this moment is.

Always live in the moment.

[Bro. Hex]

The only thing that is certain (is) this (very) moment.

It's all we have.

[musicman153]

Thanks for correcting my grammer. "is" was the proper word.

Om

[Songster]

How comfortable are you with doubt?.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

Whichever you choose, do you know "why" you are the way you are?

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

Doubt used to haunt me, but hasn't bothered me since I discovered the Truth.

My belief contains pure black and white "truths" that advise that I restrict and govern my thoughts and actions accordingly. There is no "Right" that could be "Wrong". No "Wrong" that may be "Right."

Though I am puzzled as to why the path that led me to where I am now wandered so far afield, the absolute certainty of my relationship with my Creator answers the "Why am I here?" question.

Certainty in my beliefs is comforting, and lends me strength to continue when I am weak.

[Youch]

I am constantly amazed at the number of time on this forum that I run into questions (or statements) that involve the concepts of "proof" or "absolute certainty". It occurs to me that some of us "have to know for certain" about things that others here consider "unknowable".

So, I pose these questions:

How comfortable are you with doubt?.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

Whichever you choose, do you know "why" you are the way you are?

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

You won't read this, because you hide behind the intolerance of the ignore function. This makes responding to you all the more fun for me.

Doubt and shades of gray are an important part of the journey toward truth. It is the vetting process, or the process of illimination. Once there, logic and certainty are definately strengths.

[Kingfisher]

How comfortable are you with doubt?.

I'm not sure.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

Yes.

Whichever you choose, do you know "why" you are the way you are?

No.

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

It depends.

[mererdog]

How comfortable are you with doubt?

Doubt is, by nature, uncomfortable. It is an uncomfortableness I am fairly used to, however.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

I don't have a belief system..

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

Certainty is a strength. It allows us to act with confidence. All strengths come with inherent dangers, of course.....

[Fritillary]

I am constantly amazed at the number of time on this forum that I run into questions (or statements) that involve the concepts of "proof" or "absolute certainty". It occurs to me that some of us "have to know for certain" about things that others here consider "unknowable".

So, I pose these questions:

How comfortable are you with doubt?.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

Whichever you choose, do you know "why" you are the way you are?

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

Doubt: doubt is the perspective of waiting on a witness to what makes something proved, or what makes a motive to act. i have no problem with doubt at all, its the foundation of critical thought.

b/w/gray: my belief system is consistently challenged by the Holy Spirit who loves to play havoc with my pride, I fall back on doubt that I know anything at all

I am the way I am because it is important to the creation that I be so.

certainty is confirmation to take action or to have faith in an outcome, that meaning that the outcome will be profitable and beneficial to the person(s) needing it. when I have had two or three or more witnessing events in my life to take an action ...I am certain that I best get off my butt and get on it.

[emalpaiz]

The only constant in the universe is change. I like to believe that I have found a secure system of beliefs. Have I? I do not know. I do not know if tomorrow I will change. There is always that possibility. Uncertainty is always with us..

Once I was young, healthy, and strong; now I am older, not so healthy, and not very strong. How will I be tomorrow? I do not know.

Hermano Luis

[Zequatanil]

I am a person that absolutely hates change, uncertainty--yet as Hermano put it--the universe is forever changing. The only thing permanent in life is change, yet the way we live our lives it dosn`t seem to reflect that. At this point in my life I have come to a point where looking back the only permanence in my life is my faith, my God--sadly, not even my family for I have lost some, children grow up, we move from here to there --friends become mortal enemies and the face reflected back in the mirror is a stranger. We swear eternal love--and within a short span of life we wonder if the experience was real or not--Was it a dream? Did it happen? We don`t even know where the people we swore to love forever are.The sad thing is we even question why did we feel that way and feel rather doubtful about it--even uncomfortable.

It was certainly a well defined colour at that moment--now it is a faded grey , all washed out and seems quite unreal. And everything is like that. And the sad thing is that the more passionate a person is the worse at the end. Some people are hard, tough, nothing seems to phase them--but the sensitive, romantic, feeling crowd seem to be forever suffering. Is that weakness--well probably yes, --but I still think it is better than just having a rock where one`s heart should be.

Now on that happy note I shall say adieu--and keep on suffering.

peace and blessings,

S

[Crzyme]

questions:

How comfortable are you with doubt?

Like others who have answered it is according to were the doubt is felt, if I am in doubt about the real motivations of a human I trusted I would be greatly disturbed until I found out if my doubt were founded or not in reality. for my spiritual beliefs I harbor no doubt, do not mind if others doubt my beliefs or also hold strong feeling of having no doubt about theirs even if it contrast mine.

If I do find anything to be doubtful I will do research until I either understand or find the subject incomprehensible to the point it no longer holds my interest.

Does your "belief system" involve "black and white truths", or "shades of gray"?

Along the path of my personal enlightenment I have stumbled upon many shades of gray, however I do feel if examined to the finite point all things become clear enough to be clarified as black and white. Of course my belief system doesn't have things like sins or holy things so it might be simpler to work to that finite point.

Whichever you choose, do you know "why" you are the way you are?

Yes I do, I am at the current place in my journey to enlightenment, I learn new things all the time and know I have a vast amount of knowledge yet to seek

Do you consider "certainty" a strength? a weakness? something else?

​Certainty is a huge strength when the knowledge was gathered personally, and the knowledge enlightens ones soul, yet I am some times frustrated when people use irrational things as their certainty when I have personal certainty that their claims are not factual, and can/have been proven false, (I am still working on me in this aspect).

I also get frustrated and irritated with people who beat others over the head so to speak with their certainties, especially with things like religiousness or religious beliefs, to whit "there is only one way, my beliefs way and all others are false!" but also with things as simple as "this is the ONLY way to fold a towel" to me these are personal certainties not universal ones so one can never argue the correctness or tell others theirs are incorrect.

My beliefs I hold with absolute certainty but I freely hear all people on theirs, first it might clarify something for me, and second because we all have the right to our own thoughts and feelings on all things which can not be proven. It could be that something happens which knocks my belief system for a loop and changes my entire view of life, death, history and the afterlife; I am always open to knowledge, I study everything with passion because I admire those who did the work to prove things. I also like to put forth my own certain views, but try and do so with an open mind and also do my level best to not dismiss the beliefs of others for I do not have access into their minds to know the base of their beliefs, and it could be just as valid as mine, for most are not provable.