Living in the Unknown

We often seek to live our lives with certainty- to plan our future and to know the outcomes.  We often resist uncertainty. 

While there is a place for planning,  there are limitations to living from the mind’s need for certainty. 

The Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki spoke of "beginner's mind" — the quality of approaching each moment as if for the first time, to hold knowledge lightly without the clutter of assumption and expectation. A famous quote of his is that “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”

When we live with not knowing we live in the present moment, open to many the possibilities life offers.   

It requires that we trust there is a wisdom available that is larger and more helpful than the mind can grasp.   Having to know is like living in a cage, blocking us from experiencing the many possibles that are available. 

Great works of art, music and writing come from the great unknown. 

To live in the unknown requires trust and courage.  We are conditioned to seek certainty and stay in the known.   

I suggest you experiment with letting go of having to know and to be open to the gifts the unknown offers.