The Illusion of Control
The fascinating thing about this fear is that it’s quite irrational. As the cliché goes, the only thing we can be certain about is uncertainty, so we should be at peace knowing that uncertainty is the only given throughout our lives. Yet what we actually feel is the opposite. We do everything in our power to build patterns that indicate predictability in our lives. We set up daily routines so we can forecast our days with accuracy. We mark future dates on our calendars with the assumption that we will attend them. This is our attempt to fight entropy, or to create order out of chaos. It’s our way of organizing the cacophony of reality into the cadence of the heartbeat. Regular. Predictable. Certain. But of course, while we may win the battle against entropy on any given day, we know that entropy ultimately wins the war. Our cells eventually deteriorate, our organs eventually wither, and the body one day fails. This slow descent to nothingness is what we are all bound by. The king reach
The Illusion of Control Archive ↓ Best Posts All Posts Recent Posts Newsletter Book Courses ↓ Thinking In Stories The Examined Writer Reflections The Illusion of Control By Lawrence Yeo Let’s start today’s reflection with this question: “Why do we fear uncertainty?” The fascinating thing about this fear is that it’s quite irrational. As the cliché goes, the only thing we can be certain about is uncertainty, so we should be at peace knowing that uncertainty is the only given throughout our lives. Yet what we actually feel is the opposite. We do everything in our power to build patterns that ind
related reading
- Eliezer's Unteachable Methods of Sanity — LessWronglesswrong.com
- Kernel | Chaos Theorykernelmag.io
- "I'm not ready" but it's happening anywaysnicoles.substack.com
- containmentava.substack.com
- What You (Want to)* Wantpaulgraham.com
- What You (Want to)* Wantpaulgraham.com
- on not knowingava.substack.com
- Five Core Fears That Warp Ambitionevery.to
- 🍀 Chaos Theory - by Tina Mai - Rebootjoinreboot.org
- hedging uncertaintystartingfromnix.com
- uncertainty | MIT Admissionsmitadmissions.org
- My Greatest Fear (Wrestling with Faith and Fate)alchemy.substack.com