Four days later, I have to go to my old apartment to ship my belongings to my current home. Although I have already completed all the arrangements, I often feel anxious about whether I might have overlooked some procedures or potential risks.
That made me think of how to live well when such unanticipated risks occur. Let’s talk about it.
How to reduce fear
Sometimes, we want to eliminate fear. Future changes bring unease. It often wears out our minds.
I was also in such a state. Starting four days later, I have to carry out the move as scheduled, as I said above. Otherwise, I will suffer a loss of money. That made me fear unexpected troubles.
There are two approaches to dealing with fear, as follows:
- Clarify the unknown. It includes predicting and accepting possible losses.
- Decide to leave the unknown in chaos. This means we try to live with what the circumstances provide us.
After I started to live rationally, I came to prefer the latter. That calmed my nerves and allowed me to adapt to changes. Today, I will explain why.
Preference vs. rationality
We can leave the unknown in chaos. In other words, we can live with what the circumstances provide us. That allows us to accept changes and process fears rationally.
There are two judgments, as follows:
- Preference is a judgment based on past experiences and images for the future. It is emotional. It makes us choose the option that shows us a clearer image.
- Rationality is a judgment for adapting to reality. It makes us choose the effective option. It also allows us to leave the unknown in chaos.
Although both could arrive at the same conclusion, they are fundamentally different.
The metaphor of walking with a lantern
Rationally speaking, we cannot predict all unknowns. If we can, we should already be the richest in the world. It means we must live by deciding based on the logic at hand.
To make it easier to understand, let’s look at an example.
Suppose we are walking in a pitch-dark night with a small lantern. Since there is no more efficient resource, it is pointless to lament the darkness and covet the brightness. When there is nothing more efficient than the lantern, all we can do is proceed with it, even if it illuminates only one step ahead.
In this situation, preference doesn’t help us. It is based on past experience and self-image to express the differences between others and ourselves.
However, when we live rationally, we don’t have to rely on the past and self-image. Rationality allows us to judge based on the current circumstances. Making decisions shows us the self. Preference is useless when we go forward.
In other words, desiring brightness is a matter of preference. It is irrational to hate the night and worship the day. Both are reality.
That tells us we can live according to the situation. We can rest during the night or proceed with a lantern. If it requires us to pay extra money, then we can follow it. If it demands we live with only one piece of clothing, like a Buddhist monk, just follow it.
Under the principle of rationality, others’ judgments don’t matter. It is someone else’s way of living.
We don’t have any better judgment than rationality if we are logical. That allows us to accept the changes and adapt to every situation.
That is the meaning that we can leave the unknown in chaos.
Conclusion
That is my current way of life.
We can leave the unknown in chaos.
In other words, we can live with what the circumstances provide us.
That allows us to accept changes and process fears rationally.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
