An Interesting Notion About Uncertainty

Uncertainty is the condition of being in doubt, or being in possession of imperfect information. Which fork in the road leads to one's destination?

I'm speaking metaphorically because in the age of smart phones, one can generally easily determine the correct geographic route.

Many of us experience from time to time, if not perpetually, an uncertainty about life -- if not its fundamental meaning at least how we should go about living, or what exactly we should do to accomplish something.

This can be very frustrating for some, but perhaps actually rewarding for others.

"I think people give a lot of spiritual credence to uncertainty, to not knowing," contemporary author Maggie Nelson said in an interview with The Creative Independent. "That's exactly how it should be, but it doesn't mean that not knowing is easy," she went on  to say.

I find this an interesting notion because spirituality is generally thought to be a positive attribute and, as an author, one sometimes wonders if one's characters are sufficiently spiritual to be viewed as convincing and interesting.

Generally speaking, spirituality is a sense that there is more to the world, or to the human condition, than can be concretely seen. For many, that extra dimension is one form of religion or another. For others, it can be a set of beliefs or values -- things we consider to be right even though we can't prove them. They are things we feel or sense deeply -- in our core, as it were, as opposed to things we have learned from others.

Nelson suggests a different notion -- that if one doesn't know what to do, doesn't know how to proceed -- one is in a spiritual space.

Are people who are less competent more spiritual? In truth, I think many of us have encountered people who would like to be viewed that way. But in some causes, I think one comes to the conclusion that there is no there there.

Nelson, author of The Argonauts (about which I will probably have more to say later) and several other books, is the recipient of a MacArthur genius award.

If you are unfamiliar with that, the following is from Wikipedia:

"The MacArthur Fellows Program, MacArthur Fellowship, or 'Genius Grant' is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 individuals, working in any field, who have shown 'extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction' and are citizens or residents of the United States."

It is "not a reward for past accomplishment, but rather an investment in a person's originality, insight, and potential." The current prize is $625,000 paid over five years in quarterly installments. The Program allows no applications. Anonymous and confidential nominations are invited by the Foundation and reviewed by an anonymous and confidential selection committee of about a dozen people, the Wikipedia entry said.

For a Genius Award recipient, I am disappointed to say that I found Nelson's responses to the questions posed by The Creative Independent rather thin gruel. But perhaps the interviewer, or my own inability to comprehend the significance of what was said, is to blame. Those interested in finding out for themselves can click on the link near the top of this post.