Week 29 - "Believing in mysteries is no guarantee that you’ll solve them. But denying them guarantees that you never will" - Adam Mastroianni
This week's publication was inspired by a recent article from Adam Mastroianni, "Sorry pal, this woo is irreducible" which I've linked at the bottom of this page. Consider checking it out!
From the moment we are born to the day we die, we live a life dictated by choices. Ultimately, the culmination of these choices decides the quality of our lives. As a result, we should be doing our best to make sure all the choices we make are in our best interests, both temporarily and in the long run.
But how do we know we’re making the right choices?
“How do you know you’re living a good life, choosing the right career, having enough fun?” - Adam Mastroianni1
Adam’s answer, which I’ve found quite interesting, is that there isn’t an answer to those questions. Since absolute certainty doesn’t exist, one can’t know if they’re on the right path. And because of that, one should embrace the mystery of the unknown.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. Although I do enjoy experiencing the mystery that is the future, I can’t say I’m completely unnerved about not knowing if I’m on the right path.
I know I enjoy the suspense that comes with the unknown because of the possibilities it creates. But that’s because I think things can turn out better than I might expect. If I account for when things end up worse than I expect, I become much more apprehensive about proceeding blindly.
For that reason, I believe making “good” choices is just optimizing your chances for a better outcome than expected. If you can make decisions that yield a higher probability of a good outcome, you’ve made a good choice.
Uncertainty of the future shouldn't deter us from pursuing our goals and dreams, rather, it should encourage us to approach decisions with careful consideration. While we may never have a guarantee that we're on the perfect path, we can try to align our choices with our values, goals, and the information available to us.
At the end of the day, it's the journey of exploring these choices and learning from their outcomes that shapes our lives. Embracing the mystery allows us to discover the treasures that the unknown has to offer.
If you enjoy receiving and reading this series, please consider sharing it with anyone you think may be interested. I love sharing the way I think with others and would love to hear others’ opinions on my ideas. Thanks!
