Uncertainty VS Definiteness
In any game or sport, the most enjoyed matches are those that are close and it is very difficult to predict the result of the match until the very end. Closer the match, greater is the excitement. It is the factor of uncertainty that makes it enjoyable. Few people like to watch a game whose result is already known or even a one-sided game.
Taking another example, in any business, the most relieved businessman is the one who knows how much he will make the next day, week or month. The more accurate his projection is, the more relieved is he. Those who are unsure of how much they would sell or would sell at all are the ones with the greatly disturbed minds. It is the factor of definiteness that aids mental comfort for most.
Uncertainty and definiteness are simply measures of probability for any event to occur or it is the measure of surety of any existing information as experienced by any particular individual or set of individuals.
Uncertainty and definiteness are two sides of the same coin. If there is 75% uncertainty for a thing to occur then its definiteness is 25%, so they are both different expressions of the same information. The need for using these two expressions arises from the need of emphasizing on one aspect, either uncertainty or definiteness, of any information or projection. It means that sometimes it is beneficial to analyze the uncertainty and sometimes to concentrate on the definiteness.
Knowledge (or definiteness) is considered God’s greatest gift to man, uncertainty is an equally great gift. The reason can be understood by considering man’s grandest faculties, remembrance and evolution.
Remembrance is the key to self exploration. When God breathed His soul into man, He gifted us all the knowledge of the heavens and the earth that we needed by He also gifted us ‘oblivion’. A good part of man’s journey on earth is the remembrance of his own self. This feat, all masters agree, requires keen contemplation of the nature of man and life, a stillness that takes one deep into the abyss of his magical being. Such a serene and composed approach requires definiteness in belief and faith and a resoluteness to keep walking towards the destination.
Evolution is not just man’s purpose in life, but also his calling, his instinctive tendency. To evolve is to disclose, to develop or to explore. Man finds a great sense of achievement in exploration and discovery. Man evolves individually and collectively as a nation, race and ultimately as a specie. In every case, it is the uncertainty in one’s mind that takes him ‘out of the way’ and helps him to explore new grounds. It is the uncertainty of theories of science that has enabled scientists throughout history to come up with improved theories and inventions.
Thus, man’s journey in life, his conduct, achievements and recreation depend on the uncertainty and definiteness of everything in his life. Let’s look at some direct influences of the two factors in our lives.
Definiteness is that which keeps one going in a direction eventually leading him to success or mastery. Definiteness is also the source of comfort, confidence, trust and similar faculties. A student confidently gives answers to the teacher when she knows that she is correct. A person makes big decisions easily when he knows for sure that people will back him up and things will turn out all right. This surety enables him to trust life.
Uncertainty is that which expands one’s vision and ignites his urge to explore. Uncertainty is also the source of excitement, gratitude, love, acceptance and similar faculties. A person feels gratitude when he gets something he didn’t expect or something he wasn’t sure of getting and thus does take it for granted. When we love a person, we are never certain of exactly how much and in what way the other person loves us. It is this uncertainty that makes us explore new ways of loving that person and also varying our way of loving. This eventually helps both to understand different aspects of love and also in the growth of love, since ‘what does not grow; dies’.
Once we understand the nature, advantages and specialties of the two factors and become aware of them in our selves, we can apply them in every walk of life for incredible results.
USAGE:
Like in everything else, awareness of the two factors in the key to control and use them. Two good ways of usage include:
Acquiring definiteness;
Accepting uncertainty.
Maximum efficiency is achieved when both are kept in balance.
Acquiring definiteness:
Taking another example, in any business, the most relieved businessman is the one who knows how much he will make the next day, week or month. The more accurate his projection is, the more relieved is he. Those who are unsure of how much they would sell or would sell at all are the ones with the greatly disturbed minds. It is the factor of definiteness that aids mental comfort for most.
Uncertainty and definiteness are simply measures of probability for any event to occur or it is the measure of surety of any existing information as experienced by any particular individual or set of individuals.
Uncertainty and definiteness are two sides of the same coin. If there is 75% uncertainty for a thing to occur then its definiteness is 25%, so they are both different expressions of the same information. The need for using these two expressions arises from the need of emphasizing on one aspect, either uncertainty or definiteness, of any information or projection. It means that sometimes it is beneficial to analyze the uncertainty and sometimes to concentrate on the definiteness.
Knowledge (or definiteness) is considered God’s greatest gift to man, uncertainty is an equally great gift. The reason can be understood by considering man’s grandest faculties, remembrance and evolution.
Remembrance is the key to self exploration. When God breathed His soul into man, He gifted us all the knowledge of the heavens and the earth that we needed by He also gifted us ‘oblivion’. A good part of man’s journey on earth is the remembrance of his own self. This feat, all masters agree, requires keen contemplation of the nature of man and life, a stillness that takes one deep into the abyss of his magical being. Such a serene and composed approach requires definiteness in belief and faith and a resoluteness to keep walking towards the destination.
Evolution is not just man’s purpose in life, but also his calling, his instinctive tendency. To evolve is to disclose, to develop or to explore. Man finds a great sense of achievement in exploration and discovery. Man evolves individually and collectively as a nation, race and ultimately as a specie. In every case, it is the uncertainty in one’s mind that takes him ‘out of the way’ and helps him to explore new grounds. It is the uncertainty of theories of science that has enabled scientists throughout history to come up with improved theories and inventions.
Thus, man’s journey in life, his conduct, achievements and recreation depend on the uncertainty and definiteness of everything in his life. Let’s look at some direct influences of the two factors in our lives.
Definiteness is that which keeps one going in a direction eventually leading him to success or mastery. Definiteness is also the source of comfort, confidence, trust and similar faculties. A student confidently gives answers to the teacher when she knows that she is correct. A person makes big decisions easily when he knows for sure that people will back him up and things will turn out all right. This surety enables him to trust life.
Uncertainty is that which expands one’s vision and ignites his urge to explore. Uncertainty is also the source of excitement, gratitude, love, acceptance and similar faculties. A person feels gratitude when he gets something he didn’t expect or something he wasn’t sure of getting and thus does take it for granted. When we love a person, we are never certain of exactly how much and in what way the other person loves us. It is this uncertainty that makes us explore new ways of loving that person and also varying our way of loving. This eventually helps both to understand different aspects of love and also in the growth of love, since ‘what does not grow; dies’.
Once we understand the nature, advantages and specialties of the two factors and become aware of them in our selves, we can apply them in every walk of life for incredible results.
USAGE:
Like in everything else, awareness of the two factors in the key to control and use them. Two good ways of usage include:
Acquiring definiteness;
Accepting uncertainty.
Maximum efficiency is achieved when both are kept in balance.
Acquiring definiteness:
It is a healthy activity to measure the knowledge and definiteness of the procedure of performing a task or dealing with a situation before actually starting to work on it. It adds to the health if one is aware of the available and the required or desired knowledge. Efforts can then be made to acquire more knowledge if necessary or if there is ample knowledge; energy can be put into other areas of the task.
Accepting uncertainty:
Even the surest of methods are not perfect. There is almost always a factor of uncertainty that encompasses possibilities of improvement (by addition or amendments) or application of a completely different approach to the problem. When we accept that our method (the one we follow) is not perfect, we open ourselves to those possibilities and are likely to keep our eyes open for new discoveries and seek alternatives.
These two aspects of looking at a problem help one to perform a task efficiently or deal with a situation effectively and also learn and expand one’s vision and experience. Furthermore, this approach can be applied to the simplest and the most complex of problems. For example, it is easy to forgive somebody when you tell yourself that you are not certain that the mistake was made deliberately or that the intention was what it seemed. Science and religion would not have developed if scholars wouldn’t have doubted the correctness of the ancestral viewpoints.
So, coming from this approach it is helpful when dealing with all kinds of problems, physical, mental, emotional or spiritual but only when it its applied with awareness and a touch of wisdom.
Accepting uncertainty:
Even the surest of methods are not perfect. There is almost always a factor of uncertainty that encompasses possibilities of improvement (by addition or amendments) or application of a completely different approach to the problem. When we accept that our method (the one we follow) is not perfect, we open ourselves to those possibilities and are likely to keep our eyes open for new discoveries and seek alternatives.
These two aspects of looking at a problem help one to perform a task efficiently or deal with a situation effectively and also learn and expand one’s vision and experience. Furthermore, this approach can be applied to the simplest and the most complex of problems. For example, it is easy to forgive somebody when you tell yourself that you are not certain that the mistake was made deliberately or that the intention was what it seemed. Science and religion would not have developed if scholars wouldn’t have doubted the correctness of the ancestral viewpoints.
So, coming from this approach it is helpful when dealing with all kinds of problems, physical, mental, emotional or spiritual but only when it its applied with awareness and a touch of wisdom.
posted by Shady @ 9:48 AM
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