“Too often we resist ambiguity”

Why do we resist ambiguity? Why are we so afraid of not knowing, not having a clear view of what is to come? I’ve realized that often we tend to seek for a sure answer; we want to know how, what, where, when, and why. And when we don’t have the secure answer of what will happen next we automatically go into panic mode. We feel as if a grand piano is being pushed out of a balcony and we are standing in the exact place where the piano will land.

Not knowing isn’t necessarily a bad thing, at least I don’t think it is. So then why are we so afraid of being in a place where we don’t have all the answers? As my thoughts run on and on I begin to wonder whether not knowing might actually be better than knowing. When you don’t know something you are much more wiling to ask for help. When you already know, there is no point to ask for help. I feel as though not knowing somehow keeps us humble. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should just conform in not knowing and thus becoming lazy. Absolutely not! I do think that because we don’t know everything we are much more willing and open to receive what is shared, spoken, and/or taught. Whether it’s bad or good we are at least willing to hear both sides and come to a final conclusion, whereas if we already knew we might not have consider both sides and who knows what we might have missed.

Throughout life we will face various situations where we won’t have all the answers but what’s important is just as is stated in How to Read Poetry, “The issue is our reaction…We have to give up our material attitude, which makes us want to posses the poem. We have to cultivate a new mindset, a new practice of enjoying the inconclusive”.

We need to be ready to embrace ambiguity whenever we’re faced with it. Especially as Christians whose trust is set upon the Creator who he alone knows what is and what is to come.