"Miles from nowhere, I guess I'll take my time...to reach there. Look up at the mountain I have to climb...to reach there."
Uncertainty plays a big role in our lives, whether we like it or not we are in a constant state of existence ruled and controlled by unknowns that are presented to us on a daily basis; questions like, when is the next paycheck coming in? What are my tasks for today? When is the next test? The only thing that determines the style of life we carry is how much control we have over those unknowns and in order to carry on a normal life we usually fall to conclusions that make us follow the path that's set for us, uncertainty has a feel of insecurity and fear branded on, so naturally, most of us ran away from it and try to distant ourselves as much as we possibly can.
“It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
Taking chances on a hunch, hoping for the best or even trusting one's abilities to take an unknown challenge, these are all habits we tend to shed as we grow. We are constantly being asked to deliver and compete to climb the corporate ladder, so we feel the necessity to take lesser risks and work based on certainties. Don't get me wrong, the marketplace might not be the best stage to take chances, and risk taking can easily go both ways, yet I find a great deal of comfort when we see people who managed to break the norm, to be successful and did so by taking a chance and working a different angle.
Today's young adults, millennials and college students, are brought into a very competitive environment and we usually feel the necessity to gain any advantage that we can possibly get. Nobody wants to lose, nobody wants to feel like they fell short of the goal line. In this world, it seems as if the end goal for our lives is very well stablished, the picture perfect image of the modern family, living and working, happy and hardworking people, five days of work followed by two days of rest, the life that we hope or shoot for upon graduation.
Today's expectations resonate in my head as a loud echo that assimilates the voices of my elders, advising me on how to follow the lead of those in front of me. The truth keeps being this, that in today's world is possible to live a fructiferous life by just doing what is expected of us, we can get away with not risking too much, keeping our heads down, doing our job and living our lives outside of that. There's no need to take risks when most of the answer have already being posted somewhere, there's no need to question ourselves when all we have to do is pick a side, and there's no need to venture and find our path when we can just follow the crowd.
What can we actually expect out of this world? When empty bold statements are taken for truths, and people who speak the truth are considered weak when they acknowledge not having all the answers. Uncertainty due to change is the only constant in this world, but we are not scared of how much we don't know, but rather of realizing we've been wrong or that we might fail, we are scared of losing a battle we haven't even started yet. For me, the path of uncertainty keeps being the most appealing one, to follow my fears and hope for the best, to take chances and trust my gut, after all risking too little is just as bad as risking too much.
