Living with Uncertainty

By -
Today I agreed to put new front shocks and struts on my car, for a total of about $1000. Something like this was not unexpected: I hit no less than three deep potholes this winter.  I feel that my car repair company is reliable and knowledgeable. But still I had a nagging concern that they might be overselling me on the need to replace both shocks, and the struts. When I was younger and poorer I know I would have been more mistrustful, getting a second opinion perhaps, and I wondered: Is my current trust misplaced?

Thinking it through I decided I was comfortable with that uncertainty. I was pretty sure it was good advice and it just wasn't worth the indecision, the extra effort, the number of unpleasant thoughts I would have in sorting it out.

All of us are more or less anxious and fearful when faced with uncertain outcomes. And many of us face uncertainties that are far more upsetting than a decision about car repair. In our technology-driven culture, more and more things are new and untested. From power delivery systems to passports, from telephones to tamales, so much has been redesigned or re-engineered that it can seem like very little of what we depend on is guaranteed to be reliable, sustainable or safe. We all need tools to help us maintain equanimity in the face of increasing uncertainty. This is necessary, simply to survive and stay sane.

For myself, I use my martial arts and my music training to help train my brain and body to take uncertainty in stride. It is an explicit element of Kokikai Aikido training to remain calm and centered during an attack, when the outcome is uncertain. And the outcome is uncertain. We train in in ways that ensure our partner's safety, but in real life, you never know. You might do everything right, and, as one of our senior instructors, Leon Brooks says, "Sh*t happens."

Jazz improvisation is all about responding to uncertainty, taking it, molding it, and turning it into something great. Mistakes lead to the greatest ideas...if you keep your ears open and don't freak out. I'm sure many artists and scientists would say the same about their work.

The word training implies consistent, methodical and attentive practice with a goal in mind. If a physical training is going to affect our mental attitude, then we have to train the body and the mind to coordinate and work together.  If you have some kind of training like this in your life, maybe you can use it to help you handle uncertainty, helping provide a shock absorber when you ride over the potholes of life...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Make a "Rush" Woven Seat Chair Using Old Jeans (or Fabric Scraps)

By -
Image
I used the technique for weaving a rush chair seat to make a chair seat using old jeans. The antique ladderback chair is just the right height for me to practice my Québécois button accordion. Fabric Choice Although at first I considered using t-shirt strips (also called tarn), I decided to jeans because denim is stronger and not stretchy. I had some old heavy linen fabric that would have done the trick, too, but I didn't have enough for the whole chair with either linen or jeans. I decided not to mix them, at least not for my first chair. I was advised, (correctly!) by other crafters, that all I had to do was out the word out, and I’d get donations. I sent out 4 emails and literally went shopping and there were two pairs of jeans on my doorstep. I had five more pairs by the weekend. (Now I need another chair!) Some Pointers Before I describe the process, here are some pointers. I don't recommend doing this with a stretchy fabric. Therefore, if you use jeans, avo...
Read more

Keep One Point

By -
Image
I've been slowly but surely writing of a series posts devoted to each of the  four basic principles of Kokikai Aikido . One of these is Keep One Point to Develop Calmness. We spend about 90 minutes in each aikido class, and most students practice once or twice a week - only a small proportion of the of hours we are awake each week. It may be plenty of time to spend doing a demanding physical exercise, but we need to spend more time working on the underlying principles for them to become second nature in our bodies. Fortunately, all of the basic principles are easily practiced at any time, not just in class. We can easily practice finding and keeping One Point while off the mat, and test the results when we're back on the mat. What Is One Point? One Point is a concept closely related to your center of balance. Centuries ago martial artists discovered that if the mind is focused on keeping this point low, one becomes stronger and harder to move. In Kokikai, we first...
Read more

What is Ki?

By -
Image
The concept of Ki , or lifeforce, exists in many cultures. In Chinese it's Chi or Qi , in Sanskrit,  Prana . In western culture, while we may say someone has a soul that is distinct from their physical body, the soul is connected to the individual.  Ki, as it is understood in Japanese culture, is a universal force that permeates everything. Individuals may manifest more or less ki, but it is a connecting force between everyone and everything. In Japan, ki is an everyday concept that's found in many common phrases . For example the phrase "O  ki o tsuke te," which means "take care," literally means, "apply ki ."   "O genki desu?" the most common way to say "How are you?" means, literally, "Do you have ki ?"   "Ii k imochi," a phrase heard often, particularly in popular songs, means "(What a) good feeling." "Ii" means "good" and "kimochi" literally means having, o...
Read more