Absolute certainty invites Hubris and inevitably, Nemesis.
In Greek mythology Hubris was the worst kind of pride or self-congratulatory pomposity, that would call to Nemesis, the goddess of vengeance and retribution, to come and sort things out. in short – Pride comes before a fall.
Certainty, however, keeps us on a chosen path, heading in a chosen direction, doing what we want knowing that there will be a preferred outcome.
The trouble starts when doubt or uncertainty enters the room.
There is an everyday kind of certainty that allows us to run our lives. The Sun comes up in the morning. The TV works when you switch it on. Trump will be grabbing the headlines. Coffee keeps you awake at night.
The smallest thing can upset your certain daily routine. The milk has gone off. Someone ate the last slice of bread The coffee machine broke. It spirals out from there into a day of chaos.
It doesn’t need to, but that’s how it happens. Can you, in that moment, think, “I’m so grateful that there is clean water in the tap, that cornflakes taste really interesting with orange juice or that crisp bread is a great and handy alternative to toast in the morning.”
The bigger the disruption, the harder to stay grateful and grounded.
In our life, at the moment, we are moving house and downsizing. How is a roomy family home going to fit into where we are going? Will we make friends? Will old friends come to see us? Will there be problems in the new neighbourhood? Are we doing the right thing? What if, what if what if…?
To try and calm my brain down, I go to read The Certain Way, my own book based of Wallace Wattles’ book, The Science of Getting Rich. Surely I have some advice in there for myself?
As I read, I feel uneasy. Who am I to put this book and idea out there into the world if I can’t be certain of what lies ahead in the next few months?
My advice to someone in the same situation sounds a bit glib. Be grateful for the fantastic opportunities that are opening up for you. For this lovely new house that you have found, and that has found you. A house that is calling you to this new neighbourhood, a surprise area that was not on the list of choice places to move to.
It’s not just about the person moving, it’s also about the place making room for you to enter, it had to be ready for you as much as you were ready to move.
Be thankful for all the new opportunities and experiences that will open up. the closeness to family, new friends, new ideas.
Be thankful for the opportunity to go through all the stuff that fills our life and house at the moment. To choose the things we love and say goodbye to the things we have no need for anymore. To thank our old things for their service and send them on their way to a new home, if possible, or back into the system of creative recycling of the world.
That is not an easy message to hear when problems are pouring your way, and it really does sound glib to just say, “Don’t worry about stuff that hasn’t happened yet and work your way though the stuff that needs attending to in a timely fashion.”
But that is the way to handle it – he says, as his wife comes in the room and talks about how we might keep some curtains we hate because they will cover that new window until we get new blinds instead.
In all the maelstrom of chaos and uncertainty, try to keep a tiny part of the brain ticking over, reminding you that there is a certain way, to not fall into the stream of doubt and be swept away in the flood. To find a tiny piece of higher ground and wait.
One of those everyday certainties is that the flood will recede, the sun will come out again and the ground will dry up, ready for you to carry on in a sure and certain way.