Valuing the Unknowable

Spoiler Alert: You Can't

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I enjoy satirical self-deprecation and playing the part of a realist; it keeps me grounded. But on the whole, I would say I am an optimist. One belief I hold that aids the persistence of optimism is that there are always unknowable unknowns lurking in the future. This can be terrifying; life can be so tragically spontaneous at times. But it can also be wonderfully random. Consider the process of applying for a new job. It feels like a numbers game; constant applications met with frequent rejection and several blows to your self-esteem. And then suddenly, after weeks of trying, you land three interviews in the space of two days. You wait for a bus and then two come along at once.

Finding a new job or changing career paths is often anxiety-inducing; the distance between points A and B can feel like a tightrope with…