Clarity and Certainty

The world is complex and it's often much easier to reach for the lowest hanging fruit (or the first page of google) when it comes to forming our view of the world.

While I believe in thinking for yourself, I also believe it is important to be open to the ideas and opinions of others. Listening and gaining an understanding of other people’s lived experiences, and considering their knowledge are all healthy markers of intellectual humility. It's through these open-minded inquiries that we come to realise we don't know everything.

I am weary of those who speak with unrelenting authority and conviction about things they clearly haven't thought through with any real depth. When people speak without the slightest hint of uncertainty, I often get the sense that they have more answers than questions.

It’s questions that will develop our eye for nuance. When we continue to probe deeper, to examine everything from a different perspective, we learn there are many different ways in which we can approach something.

From any inquiry of this sort, we may come away with a sense of clarity. But the healthiest minds are comfortable in the knowledge that clarity offers no certainty that our thoughts on matters ought to trump those of others.