Is life ever certain?

[ReturningMoon]

Hi everyone. Looking over my life I don't recall a time my life was ever certain. That's how I came to the conclusion you might as well live the life most fulfilling to you. I think even if you're doing this life is still uncertain. If you can live life with a curiosity rather than fear I think that is the remedy.
I just find it interesting. When my life was so wrong there was uncertainty. Now even though I am living the "right" way I still find the same thing.
So, do you think life is certain for anyone or are we all in the same boat?

[Redchic12]

ReturningMoon you stated:

…….”you can live life with a curiosity rather than fear I think that is the remedy.”

Yes it’s true. I’ve lived my whole life like that. I never had to learn how to do it, it was just a natural thing that I was born with I think. When I’ve felt the fear at different times I’ve just stopped and said to myself “feel the fear and do it anyway” and so I did. And funny enough afterwards I’ve laughed and said, quote: There’s nothing to fear except fear itself”

Dont know who wrote that quote but I’ve used it constantly in my life and it’s VERY EFFECTIVE.

[Miss Hepburn]

Well, waking up to the news that FIFTY tornadoes hit America yesterday...1000s and 1000s of homes and malls and schools destroyed to rubble.
I'd say, ''No," to the op's question.

I believe things are uncertain to direct us to That which is certain.

[Starman]

Life, in my opinion, is what we are not what we do or what happens to us. It is said that change is the only constant in this physical world, but while I have a physical body I am not my body. My body has a life of its own.

One day my body will die and it can happen at any moment, life will leave my body; that is me leaving. Life is not what is happening on the outside, that is but an expression of life, or how life is styled. The tornados and hurricanes have a life of their own, just like my physical body.

As long as you remain centered and quiet inside, with little or no expectations, life is very certain. But if a person is enmeshed in this world it will take them on a roller coaster ride with ups, downs, and revolving changes.

I do get very sad when I hear about little children who are murdered, and sometimes I cry right in front of my T.V. , it is very painful. But I have worked all my life to help people change from the inside, because that is where I believe the stability is. The Christian Bible says (paraphrase) “know that while you are in this world, you are not of this world.”

[Redchic12]

Starman I couldn’t have said it any better. Totally agree with you.

I certainly feel like I’m in a play and just going thru all the motions that’s needed and don’t expect anything from anyone. If an event happens that’s great and if it doesn’t well that’s great too. I’ve kinda thought maybe you get like this as you grow older but wasn’t sure.

Also I have always enjoyed change and actually thrive on change, so that has never been a problem for me.

Your quote”. Know that whilst you are in this world, you are not of this world.

Funnily I have been thinking about this quote for sometime now and saying to myself, jeez that is exactly how I feel about my life and wondering if I’m a bit weird! Lol

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Well, waking up to the news that FIFTY tornadoes hit America yesterday...1000s and 1000s of homes and malls and schools destroyed to rubble. I'd say, ''No," to the op's question.

I believe things are uncertain to direct us to That which is certain.

Yes. We humans like certainty because it gives us the illusion of security. We want to be safe in our comfortable world.

But this comfortable world can be overturned at any moment by events outside our control, as Miss H. mentions. The external world is always changing.

All we can do is look within for our security, finding that which never changes within ourselves. Resting in inner certainty we can be comfortable with outer uncertainty.

Peace

[inavalan]

Originally Posted by Redchic12

... quote: There’s nothing to fear except fear itself”

Dont know who wrote that quote but I’ve used it constantly in my life and it’s VERY EFFECTIVE.

https://interestingliterature.com/20...tation-origin/

[Starman]

I think we also like certainty because our deeper being, soul if you will, is permanent and we are unfamiliar with constant change. We view constant change, and impermanence, in this world from a place of permanence within ourselves.

For most a youthful human body goes through dynamic change; adrenaline rushes that urges us to jump, run, climb, and for most a desire to be physically active. Little kids often run around in circles with so much energy. We also go through hormonal changes in our youth and for a big part of our human journey, most people are lead around by their genitals.

But as Redchic12 mentioned, with aging, especially after age-60 for most, all of that decreases. Biologically societies think that people over 60 are closer to death then people in their thirties, but that simply is not true. Biologically our bodies physiologically starts declining in our 40’s.

Not to mention societies send our youth to war and also more youth die in accidents and in other ways then the elderly. But those of us who have longevity on Earth our bodies follows “The Normal Curve,” as all natural things do. We come into this world, go through changes, our body grows, peaks, and then declines. This is the normal curve in nature. The normal curve in statistics describes data.

With changes in physiology comes changes in our brain and our mentality, or the way we think, feel, and see our existence here on this Earth; these mental change happen to most people and is considered normal with aging. A little baby has no concept of time, change, or object permanence. They readily accept, for the most part, that it was once there and now its gone; except when it comes to their bottle or pacifier.

What I share here are generalizations and may not apply to all babies or all who are elderly. Had to put this disclaimer here. Nonetheless, there is generally a harmony or an incongruity between the permanence of our inner presence and the impermanence of our body and constant change on the outside of that inner presence. Expand your presence (consciousness) and all of that becomes more harmonious.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Redchic12

quote: There’s nothing to fear except fear itself”

Darnnit, I jumped right to Winston Churchill...but, OF COURSE!
It was Pres. Franklin Roosevelt, in the '40s, Dah, to me.
I knew that!
AND, I'm so cool, I also knew it was, ''BUT fear itself''. I love games like Jeopardy, a US TV Game Show.

[inavalan]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Darnnit, I jumped right to Winston Churchill...but, OF COURSE!
It was Pres. Franklin Roosevelt, in the '40s, Dah, to me.
...

In the sixteenth century, the great French writer Michel de Montaigne – the man who pretty much invented a whole new genre, the essay – wrote: ‘the thing of which I have most fear is fear’. Although it depends on which translation you read. In another, the wording is slightly different: ‘The thing in the world I am most afraid of is fear, that passion alone, in the trouble of it, exceeding all other accidents.’