Living With Uncertaintiy

An astrologer recently reviewed my chart, marveled at some of the planetary comings and goings, and said, “You’re being taught to live with uncertainty.”
 
“That sounds about right,” I said. “But aren’t we all living with uncertainty all the time?”
 
Pema Chodron is a very wise American Buddhist nun who lives in Nova Scotia. A few years ago I reviewed her book, “Comfortable With Uncertainty.” Here are some words that stood out:
 
“A warrior accepts that we can never know what will happen to us next. We can try to control the uncontrollable by looking for security and predictability, always hoping to be comfortable and safe. But the truth is that we can never avoid uncertainty. This not-knowing is part of the adventure. It’s also what makes us afraid.”
 
She completes this short discourse with, “If we find ourselves in doubt that we’re up to being a warrior-in-training, we can contemplate this question: "Do I prefer to grow up and relate to life directly, or do I choose to live and die in fear?’”
 
Pema speaks of a warrior as a bodhisattva -- not one who kills but a “warrior of nonagression who hears the cries of the world.” The warrior’s sword of wisdom cuts through delusion.
 
I also looked up Osho’s words on the subject: “Life is basically insecure. That’s its intrinsic quality; it cannot be changed. Death is secure, absolutely secure. The moment you choose security, unknowingly you have chosen death.”
 
It follows that the moment you choose life, you choose uncertainty.
 
Continuing on the subject of security, Osho adds, “The moment things are secure you will feel bored because there is no possibility of any exploration.” (“Theologia Mystica”)
 
So no matter what the planets are up to, life is always moving from the known to the unknown. The crossing point from the known to the unknown is where uncertainty sets in. Looking to the positive, if we choose uncertainty and insecurity, at least we won’t be bored.