It was an unusual ad-hoc discussion. The mix included entrepreneurs, a lawyer, consultants, corporate executives, and a retired senior judge. The judge posed a question without hint of his thoughts on the matter or even of his view of what might be correct for anyone present. What do you think of…? The question was filled with political, ethical, and moral uncertainties. Whatever one’s view might be, answering this in a friendly environment where there would be follow-ups was it itself filled with more uncertainties and risk.
My immediate thought was the ever growing need for answers in a world with less and less obvious answers. How does one balance the rights of the many with freedom and respect for the one? What do we do when we do not know what the right choice is?
My two cents, if only to give myself guidance, is the following.
Be candid with one’s uncertainty. Expressing one’s uncertainty is, in a way, a form of asking for help. It is a solemn request for help from those your express it to. When honored by those who hear, good things naturally follow.
Be open to answers from multiple sources and in multiple ways. Answers to a call for hope can come through the response of another, the sight of beauty, or the awareness of help. In the past, in asking for help, “they prayed and he [Divinity] brought quail, filled them with the bread of heaven;” (Psalm 105.40)
Be prepared to wrestle with uncertainty for a time. There are requests for help that remain unanswered while one feels called to take action. In this case, it was the invitation to contribute to the conversation without knowing the answers to one’s own questions as well as the questions of others.
I walked away from the conversation with a sense of hope. I was not alone in my uncertainty. I was among friends that also carried partial views while not knowing how to deal with every uncertainty. The answer I heard was to wrestle, live, and search. Good advice in any situation.
