Greetings Readers!
Here is the next volume of our series โ Letters to a Young Seeker (Catch up on previous volumes: Donโt Forget to Live, Break Bread with the Dead, Live an Examined Life, Carry the Fire, The Art of Optimism, Think Like a Mortal, Trust Thyself, The Art of Being, Freedom and Responsibility, and Becoming Who You Are).
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Dear Fellow Traveler,
Three Delphic maxims were inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi: know thyself, nothing to excess, and certainty brings ruins. As discussed in the letter, Think Like a Mortal, there was a total of 147 ancient sayings inscribed upon a stone monument at Delphi. All of which are just as timely today as they were thousands of years ago.
What is certainty exactly?
The question of certainty may sound straightforward. Most modern dictionaries point to a โfirm conviction that something is trueโ or the โquality of being reliably true.โ But from a philosophical perspective โ certainty becomes more complicated. As mentioned in a meditation titled, A History of Ignorance, it takes significant knowledge to discover our own ignorance.
But certainty is not all downside. There are many things that we should have a sense of certainty about. For example, if we were to walk in the rain without an umbrella, we would naturally get wet. We all know this to be accurate, and when it happens, we are rarely upset by it.
Now let us look at a slightly more complicated example โ if I decide to plant a garden and follow the necessary steps. I will feel a firm conviction (or a sense of certainty) that my vegetables will grow. However, many things are outside of my control โ like hungry rabbits that might eat these fresh vegetables. Or, an unexpected cold front could cause issues for my new garden. I could become injured (or worse) and be unable to tend this garden. Although there are many things we should have certainty about since everything is interconnected, we often still experience a high level of uncertainty.
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