Uncertainty

Uncertainty

Is a dull life good for you?

An ancient Chinese sage is reported to have stated that the only constant in the universe is change. That is interpreted as meaning the natural flows of seasons and evolution have to be accepted, followed and supported. There is also the fact that all change comes at a “cost”. The expenditure of effort of some sort must be made in order for change to happen. This cost may not be met by those benefiting from the change.

We live in a period of history where, within the developed and developing nations, the rate of change of just about everything, is constantly increasing. Worldwide population densities, Artificial intelligence, computerisation and automation are changing the way we work, play and even eat.

Very few people live in a world of physical mental and emotional certainty. Most of us (including myself) live in uncertainty. Our lives are so intermingled with others, that we do not fully control our future. We do things based on our belief that, at that moment, it is the least harmful to ourselves and those we love.

Modern media with its intrusive, swirling saturation of information, much of which is not 100% true and accurate, combines with political instability, with no statesmanship or genuine conviction leadership in any ideologic group, mean that we are all constantly urged to accept changes when we not even certain of the starting point, let alone the real objective.

Financial instability is common since the rate at which both national and individual economies change is now much faster than at any time in the past. Even 50 or 60 years ago in Britian many people especially the “working class” and the professional classes, stayed in the same employment all their working life. They may not have been well paid, but they had stability. They could expect to plan for several years ahead. Now this is unwise, there is no real expectation of financial stability at all.

During the “cold war” period there was fear of annihilation, this fear was real at that time, although the present younger generation may not believe this, but there was a constant fear, but there was still some stability in social networks and employment. Fear was caused by uncertainty over global survival, but the day-to-day reality continued. Now, even our localised society is being fragmented, disrupted and challenged. Deliberate “Social engineering” is now real when 60 years ago it was fiction, and unthinkable. Society evolved and changes occurred, but they were natural, organic, not constructed to suit some politicised ideology. The imposition of multiculturalism, replacing integration, is one of the most obvious politically inspired social engineering concepts.

The sheer scale of populations and the existence of multiple rapid methods of dissemination of opinions (often claiming to be factual or news) means that we are now constantly being challenged to change what we think, how we live, what our basic norms of life should be. This is stressful.

The evolution of humans mental and emotional capacity for change, has been overtaken by the mechanised rate of change. Stress in the mind gets transferred to ill health in the body. Taking a “holiday” from this artificially induced stress is becoming a necessity, we all need a coping strategy that prevents mental and emotional and even physical breakdown. Very few can escape completely from reality of modern life, we cannot all find 2 acres of fertile land, build a log cabin and live sustainably, remote from contact with the rest of the population, the Taxman will find you, even off the grid.

So, what can we do? We can accept that the stress starts in the mind, the uncertainty added to the concern over our lack of control over our own lives, are real. Accept it and individually design a coping mechanism. We are all different what works for one may not work for the many. So, we each should start by realising a need, then seeking what works for us. Time out from stress seems an obvious necessity, but first we must individually realise this. What form this therapeutic time out takes is a matter for the individual. Yoga, meditation etc all have great benefits for many, but simple physical activity may be better for others. For some Prayer to a deity will be a help but it is important that such Prayers are personal and time for “reception” is allowed. Reading a book for pleasure is an acceptable form of escapism, while consuming copious abouts of cocaine or alcohol are not, due to the adverse long-term effect these have on the physical body. As with all health issues, start by accepting these is a need to change, then find a way of coping, then seek remedies. Unlike a physical health ailment there is not going to be, for most of us, a “cure” for uncertainty or a lack of long-term social stability. So, we do need to cope with it.