Here’s a musing The Grasshopper dropped on my doorstep a few years back:

“The One Thing To Know For Sure Is That Nothing Is A Sure Thing.”

We all get into “set and forget” mode with many things. It’s useful that we don’t have to figure out how to turn a doorknob each time we encounter one; it’s less than useful to be certain about something that can’t be known for sure.

You’ve heard of an “elevator” speech – a succinct presentation of the main point you want to make, but you may be unaware that your “soapbox” speech is fraught with uncertainty. That means what you fervently believe and espouse is too often covered over by “pies” made by cows.

What you are sure about, too often, has you discount information that points in an opposite direction. That means an opposing view is met with confrontation rather than invitation.

Your enemies will teach you more about your faux surety than your friends. Birds of a feather will circle the wagons in the darkness of night and reassure each other that they are “right,” causing you to stand your ground and fight. Opposing viewpoints will let in some light, if you let them in.

That doesn’t mean you have to adopt them; just consider them without your current viewpoint being clad in armor.

Surety is a defensive position. Think of the energy wasted by constantly being on the defensive. There is nothing productive that comes from defending that which we can’t know for certain, only smugness that prevents us from finding a cure for sure.

You won’t find this on a bumper sticker but being less sure presents you with more options, which increase your flexibility. “Bend but don’t break” gives you more options than “let them eat cake.”

Begin putting a question mark next to the things you know for sure and you’ll open yourself up to useful options that used to be buried by your manure.

All the best,

John