On the Uncertainty of Human Life

Sometimes dark clouds of mist cover our eyes and keep us from seeing what lies ahead of us. Anxiety is triggered in such moments suddenly and without warning, yet we must not surrender to this deceptive illusion. For most of the grim scenarios our mind creates for us rarely become real, and yet we still ignite our fears as if they will indeed come to pass and turn them into anxiety.

While we allow these fears and anxieties to wrap themselves around our soul, we use uncertainty, which was given to us as a gift, as an excuse. Yet the negative attitude imposed upon us by society constantly leads us to think of the darker sides of this uncertainty. And as we dwell on the worst, we feed the unpleasant creature that lives in the dark corridors of our subconscious. Thus our mind enters a cycle ruled by anxiety. Breaking this cycle is in truth one of the most critical turning points of human life.

In the modern age, the main trigger of fear and anxiety is without doubt our tendency to contemplate every possible combination of events that might unfold in the future. Yet uncertainty, which has mostly been perceived as negative throughout history, is in fact one of the greatest treasures bestowed upon the human race. That this uncertainty drives us toward unease rather than serenity is entirely a matter of perception. And the most important force shaping our perception is our point of view. All the emotions that life presents to us can affect us only in proportion to the intensity of the feelings they evoke within us.

Perspective is shaped by how well human beings are able to direct these sensations. This is certainly not a skill that our mind possesses at birth. It grows and changes over time together with the values that make us who we are. All the powerful emotions we cannot live out, or cannot express due to environmental conditions, along with the experiences we accumulate, gather in our subconscious and gradually shape the way we see life.

In truth this is not an accurate claim, for it is our passions, rooted deep within our soul, that shape our view of life. Contrary to what many believe, the source of passion is not the heart but the soul. The heart is merely the place where these passions are felt and brought to the stage. As Descartes said, we see the stars with our eyes, but this does not mean they exist within them, their true home is the sky. What separates human beings from their own kind and makes each person unique is their passion.

God created every human being as unique and unrepeatable, like different patterns woven upon a tapestry. The creator plants in every soul the seeds of passions that make them unique and set them apart from others. Yet most people make very little effort to know themselves and therefore fail to discover the seeds hidden deep within their soul, unable to reveal the passions granted to them as divine gifts.

In such a case, perspective gradually narrows, and this remarkable journey called life turns into a dull and monotonous routine for them. This is, in a sense, another way for a person to betray oneself, one’s abilities, and the gifts granted by God. Especially in an age where society confines individuals to certain molds and ostracizes anyone who thinks differently, it would be no surprise that humanity falls into this trap.

So how do we do this, how do we discover our passions, are they simply the things we enjoy doing. Of course not, because enjoyment alone can never be a sufficient criterion. The real criterion is excitement. If we continue to feel the same excitement no matter how often we engage in something, then it is very likely our passion. What must be considered, however, is that this feeling of excitement does not gradually diminish but is felt with the same intensity every time, sometimes even with a growing intensity.

Naturally, in order to discover the things that excite us, we must embark on a journey of self knowledge. This, contrary to what is often believed, is not an easy task. For there is no end to knowing oneself, and the things you learn about your inner world may not always bring joy. Perhaps the passions you possess are born from very deep and dark desires, and perhaps what truly excites you is something frightening and filled with brutality. That is why many people prefer not to leave the safety of their comfort zone, for being unable to foresee the consequences of such a journey provokes anxiety.

Thus, the negative perception of uncertainty, as mentioned earlier, becomes the greatest obstacle preventing people from knowing themselves and discovering their passions. William Blake expresses this by saying, If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. What is being conveyed here is that our perception becomes polluted by the pressure and influence of the environment we live in, and as a result, our view of the world becomes limited.

These limitations are in fact restrictions imposed entirely by the individual upon oneself. In truth, in order to grasp the infinite and boundless magnificence at the core of existence, one must purify the lens of perception as much as possible. To the extent that we succeed in this, we can better understand ourselves and the world we live in. Ultimately, to understand anything more clearly, we must once again look back to the essence of creation.

How God created humankind, and upon what nature He fashioned it, has been a subject frequently debated by clergy, philosophers, and many thinkers for thousands of years. Yet to illuminate the point we aim to convey here, it is sufficient to consider the views of Descartes and Jean Jacques Rousseau. At this point, however, we must state that Descartes possesses a far more accurate perspective regarding the nature of human creation.

Fundamentally, Jean Jacques Rousseau argues that from the very moment a person enters the world, one is neutral, independent, and empty. To describe this, he uses the metaphor known as tabula rasa. This suggests that the human mind is like a blank slate, and that over time, through experiences, environmental influences, and education, this slate is filled, and the mind is thereby shaped. In this equation, it is argued that human beings possess no innate passion by nature, and that such things form entirely later, together with the development of the mind and character.

Descartes, on the other hand, holds a view that is almost the exact opposite. According to him, the singular element that distinguishes each person from others is the passion one possesses, and these passions are not something that can be shaped later in life. During creation, God concealed within the soul of every person certain passions that belong only to that individual. These passions form the essence of human life and are the fundamental elements that shape the way people live it. Thus, contrary to what Rousseau claims, human beings are born with certain spiritual codes, much like the genetic codes they carry.

As can be understood from this view of Descartes, our actual influence over our own lives is far less than we imagine. At this point, the most essential element that enables human beings to take pleasure in life is to know oneself and make peace with that self knowledge. For attempting to change who you are is the greatest harm a person can inflict upon oneself. What is meant by change here is not altering the things that harm the self, but attempting to change the fundamental values that constitute the self in order to be more easily accepted by society.

As Jim Morrison said, when people expect us to be what they want, they force us to kill who we truly are, such a subtle method of murder. From this it can be understood that societal pressure and external actors are eager to destroy the values that set us apart and make humanity unique. For molds are safe, molds are easily controlled, and molds destroy awareness.

Although throughout history there have always been intense pressures preventing people from discovering themselves, never before has that pressure been as invisible and insidious as it is in the modern age. Without a doubt, as a result of this pressure, the concept of social anxiety, which we hear so frequently today, has begun to come to the forefront. For contrary to the very nature of creation, human beings now think more intensely than ever about what society feels about them and what it will judge, turning this into anxiety crises.

The most appropriate measure to take against this is for human beings to dedicate their life to finding and pursuing the passions granted to them at creation. What these passions are is, contrary to common belief, not important at all. For they bring about a remarkable state of awareness that provides us with spiritual peace and reminds us of our purpose in coming into this world, making us feel how uniquely each human being was created. Passions sometimes nourish our darkest sides, and sometimes they allow light to sprout within our hearts.

At this point it becomes necessary to purge. Yes, to purge completely, without any filter, without any anxiety, and without hesitation before anyone. After nurturing and cultivating the passions we discover on the path of self knowledge, we must allow them to bear fruit. To take action and to move forward. If darkness nourishes the deep passions of our soul, then we must purge them like Shakespeare, in the most painful and tragic tones. Or if butterflies are flying and the sun of clarity has spread, then we must let those passions flow like Ben Jonson, turning the clear rivers of our heart into motion.

Some purge the deep passions of their soul by writing, another does it by drawing, and others by playing or singing. How we do it does not matter at all. What truly matters is the ability to purge freely, without any anxiety and without filtering what we express. The less we filter these deep whispers of the soul, the more clearly they will be heard by the enchanted ears of those who witness them. Let the anxieties of uncertainty be gone, and let the relentless passions of the soul take their place.

As it is said in The Strange Tale of Mr Valens, one of the greatest gifts granted to us by God was a life distant from absolute power and absolute certainty. The unrest born of uncertainty is far better than the anxiety that absolute truth would impose. Otherwise, faith would surrender to mere knowledge, passion would yield to fear, and life itself would be reduced to a simple plan.

Finally, we may briefly say this. Uncertainty gives birth to anxiety, and the simplest way to dispel that anxiety is to hold on to our passions and elevate the hope we cultivate within our hearts. Hope exists by feeding on a person’s imagination, and a strong imagination is only possible through magnanimity. Such a state of being can emerge only when ignorance is overcome. Until we meet again in another chapter where we will contemplate the nature of magnanimity.