We’re drowning in awful news. And yes, objectively challenging things are happening—skyrocketing prices, daily gun violence, the dismantling of institutions that support our health and humanity.
The uncertainties of life are on display in bold relief all around us.
Yet here’s what is really troubling: despite protests, rallies, and cries for freedom, for justice, for fairness – there’s a slow seep of fear that’s winding its way into our lives. It’s taking shape as a crisis of confidence, making us wary to speak up – a basic democratic value we share – even with friends and family.
Polls confirm what I see with my clients daily: over 55% of us feel hesitant discussing important civic topics with the people closest to us.
Feeling off balance, we retreat into our social bubbles, spinning the same tune like a broken record that spins out the same old tunes, over and over again.
The Dance with Uncertainty
I dare say we’re experiencing the push – pull of our dance with uncertainty. We tell ourselves that we’d like to know what will happen so we can settle ourselves, you know, be prepared for our lives. Ha!
Writer and historian, Rebecca Solnit, suggests something radical: taking refuge in the daily grit of life and uncertainty itself, allowing the hope of the moment to guide us.
Sounds crazy, right?
Both pessimism (“it’s not going to work out, so I’m not going to bother doing anything”) and optimism (“I’m certain it can work out if we keep trying, so not to worry) are forms of grasping after certainty. Cynicism (“it’ll only work if it benefits them”) is just a cop-out revealing our growing disconnection from each other.
Uncertainty demands a lot of us.
Experiencing the press of uncertainty, we can hold back, protecting our sense of certainty and tender stability, keeping that old record and dance going, the one we already know so well.
Or we can choose to be present to the fear, the uncertainty, and move toward it to work with it.We can learn to think about things differently, take on new perspectives, hold out hope for the future.
Think about it. If the future doesn’t yet exist and we can create it, we have a tremendous responsibility to act with courage.
Not All Stories Are Equal
Some stories reinforce old strategies and thinking. Others create openings for new ways to see and consider situations. I’ve been on the lookout for stories of hope. Hope isn’t shallow or pollyannish; hope puts us on the spot, daring us to reveal the inner workings of our care, and our vulnerable, shared humanity, to ourselves. Hope requires action.
It strikes me that finding and sharing stories of hope, we’ll connect with ourselves again, sans bubble, and be able to co-create a new, emerging future.
Two Sources of Good News
Psychologist Steven Pinker calls it “by an order of magnitude, the best source for positive news on the internet.”Since 2016, Angus Hervey has documented “the world’s hidden stories of progress”—the quiet victories in health, human rights, and technology that don’t make headlines.
His insight? “The better the world gets by most objective measures, the harder it becomes to see that progress as it’s unfolding.”
We’re living in parallel universes: armed troops in peaceful cities alongside more than half the world’s kids getting high school education; rampant grift while standards of living have improved, climate crises continue yet renewable energy is on the rise and cleaner. Did you know that over 33% of the world is “thriving.”
When these kinds of victories remain unseen, they can’t reinforce policy, or inspire replication, or energize for action. We can’t build on what we can’t see. We can’t replicate successes we don’t know exist.
So let’s find them! Finding and telling stories of progress “helps us face a challenging, sometimes frightening future with resilience.”
Karie Fugett knows a bit about the push – pull of uncertainty. An Alabama native, she’s the author of the memoir, “Alive Day,’ about her experience as a military spouse, now widow, and mother.
When Alabama voted to defund her hometown library under a new book banning law, author Karie Fugett channeled her hope into action. She converted a rusty 1940 Ford pickup into a traveling banned bookstore.
“Reading about perspectives and lives of people different than us is what builds empathy. And my goodness, we need so much more of that in this country right now.”
Her mission: getting challenged books “back into the hands of the people who need them most”—LGBTQ+ youth and other marginalized communities.
“Every American deserves the chance to learn and grow into empathetic, thoughtful citizens. That begins with access to voices, stories, and histories that expand their understanding of the world.”
Your Turn
What hopeful stories are you hearing today?
In finding and sharing stories of hope, we can find ourselves again—without the bubble—and can co-create an emerging future. Engaging and protecting our attention is a form of care, of hope itself.
Ready to shift your story? I’d love to help you navigate uncertainty with courage and find your own path forward. Book a conversation with me todayor share a hopeful story you’ve discovered—I’m collecting them.
How is uncertainty impacting you? Are you feeling fearful or brave or uncertain? I’d like to know more, you can reach me at drchris@q4-consulting.com.