In praise of uncertainty
“When did we get so spoiled that we are left never feeling satisfied enough not to poke holes in everything. It’s depressing.”
So asks John Carey in an insightful essay about the growing prevalence for mouse dissection amongst bloggers - the tendency to review everything and anything in fine detail to feed our never-ending quest to find what's right. This addiction to content is matched by an urge to get it 'out there' fast. Super fast. Get it linked. Get it tweeted. Retweeted. Re-retweeted. Get it this. And get it that. Oh, and don't forget to like it on Facebook. Please.
John's essay set me thinking about a related behaviour in real life - the absolute conviction that we're right and the urge to declare as wrong anyone who thinks otherwise. Even worse is when this attitude leads to an inclination to belittle and humiliate.
I've now reached an age where I not just reflect on my father's words but I own up to seeing the truth in them too. I'll come back to his other maxims in a later post on The Thoughts of Chairman Dad but at the moment I'm reminded of him telling a Times journalist that "the only thing we can really ever be certain of in life is that one day we'll die". How true, even if awkward in the circumstances - he'd been asked if he was certain that nuclear transport was safe... Anyway, appropriateness aside, his point was and is correct. So let's recognise upfront that true certainty is a rare commodity in our world.
I'm left wondering when did empathy cease to be a required attribute? When did we lose the ability to listen - to listen not for the next gap so that we may speak but for the gem of wisdom that will help us grow. Then again, who needs to listen or show understanding when they know what's right?
A little more uncertainty wouldn't go amiss.
For certain.
I hope you've enjoyed the first contribution to this new blog that brings together my pictures and thoughts. I don't know how often I'll post things but I'll try to ensure it's only when I've got something to say that might be worth reading! Please do get in touch with questions, comments or suggestions and, in the meantime, many thanks indeed for spending a few minutes here. I hope it hasn't been wasted time.