The Upside of Uncertainty

Conclusion

Uncertainty, Courage, and Magic

“I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had the courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils.”

—Charlotte Brontë

Notice in the quote above how Brontë uses the word “real” twice: once to describe the world and once to describe knowledge. She understood that there was an artificial version of both and that we could hide in a tiny world of our own choosing, protected by artificial buffers against change, but in so doing, we would miss the real beauty of a world full of possibility.

Although reality brings challenge, discomfort, and heartache, it is the only place where ...