“Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not understood.” – Henry Miller

 

Confusion is the second condition of uncertainty. In my last post, I suggested that uncertainty is a lack of knowledge, experience, precedent, or assurance about current conditions and what may emerge in future. 

Most people are made uncomfortable by such conditions. Not Visionmakers. They see the conditions of uncertainty, including confusion, as openings for the Field of Possibility-the geography of unlimited creativity and potential.

Confusion is generally seen as “a state of bewilderment and lack of clarity, a disorderly jumble.” In Latin, it means “mingled together” and that is precisely how Visionmakers understand it. They see confusion as the place of emerging order.  

Rather than be overwhelmed by the appearance of chaos, they hold the creative tension that comes with this “developing coherence,” recognizing that inquisitiveness, patience and trust are required to see the new patterns as they are forming, in real time.

Albert Einstein speaks to this capacity for managing creative tension, the atmosphere of uncertainty, that accompanies the journey from confusion to clarity when he states: “I used to go away for weeks in a state of confusion.” 

Imagine being able to remain open and confident for weeks at a time in states of confusion, trusting that you will recognize the new pattern that is just emerging to view! That is a supreme accomplishment of the will …and a goal for all Visionmakers. 

We live in an age of instant gratification. Many people panic and collapse when they can’t figure out the answer to something immediately. Or they become bored and impatient, ultimately abandoning the quest to understand something new. Others still turn on themselves, victims of harsh self-criticism.

Visionmakers prefer a different approach. They actively train to build the capacity to explore the emerging future with quiet confidence. They realize that if they become confused, they are being initiated into the next order of clarity.

This new order carries with it a test – will we succumb to disorder, lack of distinctions, unfamiliarity, and breakdown and quit the pursuit? Or, will we follow Einstein’s example and move from confusion through curiosity, tenacity, patient observation, creative thinking and trusting ourselves and the circumstances? 

The Visionmaker’s choice is obvious.

© Patrick O’Neill 2009. All rights reserved.

“Where nothing is sure, everything is possible.” -Margaret Drabble

We are living in a period of great uncertainty and volatility economically, socially and politically. Although world markets appear to be recovering, most “experts” concede that they remain unpredictable. Industries have been shaken, people have lost their jobs, and governments are seeking to stabilize the marketplace through stimulus spending initiatives.

Most people seek simply to survive such conditions of uncertainty.  Visionmakers see uncertainty with different eyes.

Uncertainty is a condition where there is a lack of knowledge, experience, precedent, or assurance about current conditions and what may emerge in future. That implies a high degree of risk…it also implies an abundance of opportunities.

Uncertainty is a condition that exists in the Field of Possibility. In Visionmaking, this field contains all the creative thoughts, feelings and actions available to everyone and anyone as they pursue a journey of heart and meaning.

Possibility is limitless, despite what conventional thinking dictates. There is always far more available within the Field of Possibility than the imagination can apprehend.

Visionmakers recognize that uncertainty carries with it risk. But to one who hears uncertainty as a call to adventure, the benefits of venturing into unknown territory is far more compelling than to remain on the shoreline of convention.

Calling on the gift of foresight, and trusting the careful preparation that he or she has made to enter uncertainty, a Visionmaker sets forth connected to personal power and trusting the heart’s guidance. He or she enters uncertainty with respect, discernment and excitement. 

Rather than be afraid of the conditions of uncertainty, the Visionmaker’s intention is to hold the creative tension that comes with the emerging future. Creative tension, the atmosphere of uncertainty, is the perceptual stretching required to stay open to new possibilities rather than overwhelmed by them.

This demands equanimity. Equanimity is the ability to maintain buoyancy and composure in the face of a challenge. Put another way, equanimity is the ability to meet a disturbance without disturbance.

In the Field of Possibility, and in the atmosphere of creative tension, a Visionmaker seeks to explore all the potential opportunities and actions that further the journey of meaning. In this new territory of uncertainty, if one is agile, it is possible to pluck the future from the fingers of Chance.

© Patrick O’Neill 2009. All rights reserved.