Certainty

Certainty.  Are we ever really certain about anything?  Do we know for certain when we wake in the morning and see a sunrise that it is not going to rain?  Do we know for certain if someone tells us something, they are telling the truth?  How can we ever know for sure and what happens if what we think we are certain about ends up being a lie?  I don’t think it is possible to be one-hundred percent certain about anything.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of certainty is: 1) something that is certain; 2) the quality or state of being certain especially on the basis of evidence. Certainty means a state of being free from doubt.

Doubt is seen in many forms.  When tragedy happens to a child, doubt begins to form in the mind of the parents.  Did they do something wrong?  Were they bad people?  So many dreams of life that were certain before are now filled with doubt and uncertainty.  There is no basis of evidence to remove the doubt, only questions as to why.  The only thing certain about the outcome of a tragedy like this, is that is does not make sense.  Eventually there will be hope and an understanding, but their life will have changed forever.  That … is certain.

As a child being raised by Christian parents, I was certain that God existed and could answer every question I had.  I had faith enough in my parents and my church that this was true.  Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”  But on the other side, Friedrich Nietzsche said, “A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.”  As I grew older and things happened in my life, I began to doubt and no longer knew for certain what truth was and what to believe.  Perhaps it is because I had no evidence of an all-powerful being that could answer all my questions like I believed with no uncertainty as a child.  The only proof I had was what I was taught through the Bible, a book written by men, who are, at best, fallible.

But one would argue that if not God, who created the earth in seven days and put us here to live from the bounties that abide?  I do not know the answer.  I would like to know, but I am not sure that is possible.  I do not believe that anyone can be certain that one person, God, created this remarkable place we call home.  So the debate goes on: did a single being create the earth or was it formed when particles from somewhere in the universe collided and where we live today became as it is?  Once again, my proof is from men, who may be geniuses in their thinking and reasoning, but still imperfect in every sense of the word.

Does life afford us certainties?  Are we given an extended warranty to make sure everything we hope for is what we achieve?  Vaclav Havel, a Czech playwright, said, “Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”  I believe the only thing that is certain about life is that we are alive at this very moment.  We cannot say, without uncertainty we will be here tomorrow.  We cannot see the future and know whether or not our life will end today.  That is not ours to comprehend, to know the exact time of when we take our last breath.  But I believe we can be certain, with a little bit of luck and careful planning on our part, we have the hope that we will be here another day.  Henri Poincare, a French philosopher of science said, “It is far better to foresee even without certainty than not to foresee at all.”  We should live each day to the fullest with hope, not with fear of the unknown.

I do not believe is it possible to be certain about everything in life.  I think we need to have faith and be certain about what our convictions tell us instead of what someone is forcing us to believe based on their evidence.  “For my part I know nothing of certainty, but the sight of the stars make me dream – Vincent Van Gogh.”  And of that, I am certain.