Uncertainty Everywhere: Are We at a Turning Point in History?
This program is dedicated in loving memory of S and Ity Answorth, upon their third yartzeit, 14th of Tammuz. May their family be strong and continue to be blessed in all ways, materially and spiritually, all in good health.
Uncertainty – you can consider that a title for the period we’re living in. So many unpredictable things have happened, are happening, and are even accelerating. Let’s begin with…
The Unpredictability of Politics
Who would have predicted, eight years ago, Donald Trump being elected President of the United States? And then the tumultuous term, the battles, and people glued to…well, I don’t want to call it entertainment, but whatever you want to call that whole Trump love-hate media frenzy. Then, four years later, Mr. Biden wins – again, a very tumultuous election and aftermath.
And now, here we are in 2024, with another election and the two oldest presidential candidates in history. Who would have predicted the Biden debacle in his recent debate, the events that spiraled afterward, and then, suddenly, an assassination attempt on Mr. Trump? And then, with all the pressure, Biden dropping out of the race and Harris…Kamala Harris, taking his place, all unfolding as we speak. Who knows what other unpredictable events are still to come? And that’s just in the area of U.S. politics!
Globally, we have the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East that drags on, unfortunately, with more unknowns ahead…
Technology’s Exponential Growth and Disruption
Let’s move on to the world of technology. Many of us are old enough to remember the birth of the internet, at least for the public, in the mid-’90s, and how that began to change how we communicate, how we do business, almost every aspect of our lives – in many ways for the better, but still, unpredictable change.
And then there are the exponential developments that continue to create more change. Remember the birth of YouTube and Amazon? Oh, Amazon – how that disrupted the retail business, even to this very day. How many stores closed down, how many retail outlets were forced to adapt? A new way of doing business, with all the growing pains that come with it. And now we talk about AI, a new revolution – and where is that going to lead us?
Now, not all these changes are bad, obviously; many of them are very good. But the unpredictability, the uncertainty it creates, which for a human being is always disturbing – because we like our comfort zones – it’s unnerving.
The Unforeseen Disruptions
And let’s not forget COVID-19. It began at the end of 2019, but then, March 2020, it became a global epidemic. And what did that do to our lives? Again, completely out of left field, no one expected it, and it created this enormous disruption. Yes, many things may have gone back to a semblance of normalcy, but many changes are quite permanent, in how we work, working from home, communication. Different industries that grew out of it, different industries that fell. And we’re still in the wake of the after-effects.
And the list goes on. This isn’t even considering what’s to come in this presidential campaign, a Trump pitted against a Harris, and the polarization! I mean, some of it is just…it’s ridiculous, but painful.
What’s going on on our campuses – thank God it’s quieted down to some extent – but wherever you turn, there’s disruption. I’ve already coined this the age of disruption. When the headlines are written, looking back, it will be called the “Age of Disruption.”
Now, disruption sounds very negative, like uncertainty. As I said, it makes us all uncomfortable because we like predictability; we want to know what’s coming tomorrow, we don’t want surprises, and yet, they happen. And, in our case, with technology, everything is amplified, so any uncertainty becomes collective uncertainty, a… a herd uncertainty, if you wish. And that creates even more challenges because everyone else is talking about it; it’s not just your own internal feelings; now it’s shared.
Navigating Disruption: A Turning Point in History?
So how are we to look at all of this? And, as we titled this class, is this a turning point in history?
Are we at a turning point in history? And the answer is yes, we are. And it’s always better to see it coming than not to see it coming. So you can look at disruption and uncertainty as a negative: “Oh, I was comfortable and suddenly, you’re telling me something I don’t know, and I don’t know what’s going to be, and what’s going to happen tomorrow.” Or, you can step back and maybe let go of some of your need for control and say, “Let me ride the waves. Let’s navigate. Perhaps these are signs of a new world order, and what can it do for me, and what can I do to be part of it, to make it unfold in a healthy way? So instead of disruption turning into fear and insecurity, it can turn into an exciting opportunity of change.”
The Three Steps of Transformation
And that’s exactly the way we should look at things in life, both personally and collectively. In the mystical teachings of Kabbalah, there’s a fascinating concept. I’ll say it in Hebrew, and then translate it: It’s called “*Yesh, Ayin, Yesh*” – a three-step process. All growth, all paradigm shifts, all metamorphoses require three steps.
- The paradigm, the step, the stage you are at right now – that’s the first step.
- The last, third step, is the new paradigm that’s created, that’s born.
- And the middle is called a void, a vacuum, that creates the shift, and the disruption necessary, to move from the first yesh, from the first state of the first paradigm, to the new paradigm.
Now, why do we need that disruptive state? Why do we need something that’s uncomfortable? Let me give you a bunch of examples.
- You plant the seed in the ground, it will deteriorate, rot, as it turns into a sapling, and then blossoms. And you could even see the process today; you could do it in a plant on your window sill.
- A mother will go through birth pains, and pregnancy pains, to give birth to a new child.
- An egg needs to crack for the chick to come out.
- A piece of gold needs to be melted down to turn it into a beautiful ornament.
- We need to shed one layer of skin to assume a new one.
- Creativity is a child of frustration.
I just gave you a bunch of examples. Anywhere you see real growth, you’ll always see a disruption that precedes it. Because it’s not a disruption; it’s transformation. Because, as long as you have the previous paradigm, then you’re just going to have an extension of it. It’ll remain a seed. You don’t want the seed; you want it to grow into a flower, into a tree, into a plant. That’s why you need to change that state to turn it into another state. And if you don’t do that, it will remain where it is.
The Butterfly’s Struggle: Embracing the Process
Look at a butterfly as it metamorphoses from a caterpillar. The caterpillar will go into the chrysalis, into the cocoon, and spend… well, you never know. These are the same creature, the caterpillar then turns into a butterfly that can fly. A caterpillar that was subject to crawling on the ground, on the earth, now flies.
I remember reading a book – it was written for children, but it offered great lessons for adults – about the consciousness, the psyche, of a butterfly. Does the caterpillar know it’s going to become a butterfly? Does the butterfly know that it was once a caterpillar? And when it goes into that dark state, does it know it’s growing into a butterfly? And that there’s going to be pain involved, and discomfort, because of the shift?
Sometimes, the greater the shift, the greater the discomfort. Think of lobsters, as they shed their shell because their bodies have grown and it’s so uncomfortable. It ultimately sheds that shell in order to assume a new shell.
It reminds me of this analogy: There was a person witnessing the chrysalis opening up, as the caterpillar was turning into a butterfly. And he sees the butterfly struggling to get out of the cocoon. So, in his compassion, he decides he’s going to help the butterfly. He brings scissors, a knife, and cuts open the cocoon so the butterfly can freely leave. With a grin, he waits, he waits… The butterfly remains perched on the branch, never to fly.
He didn’t realize what he had done. Part of the process, the aerodynamics, that the butterfly needs to fly is the pressure in its wings, a liquid that spreads into its wings – and that is developed through the butterfly struggling to get out of the cocoon. It’s the struggle; it’s like exercising its muscles. And that liquid then streams into its wings, to give it the aerodynamics it needs. And, in his misguided compassion, by cutting the cocoon and avoiding that struggle, the butterfly will never fly.
You love your child, your child takes its first step, the child will fall. Now, a compassionate mother or father might say, “I don’t want my child to fall,” and they hold their child all the time. What do you think will happen? The child will never learn to walk. The compassionate parent will say, “Walk to me, walk to me.” You’ll be there; you won’t hold the child’s hand; you’ll be there to show them you’re there for them. The child will fall a few times, but then, they’ll learn to walk.
This is the wisdom of appreciating the yesh, ayin, yesh, to understand that disruptions and uncertainty and unpredictability – all those experiences – are actually stepping stones to tremendous growth. While you’re there, it can be very uncomfortable, but that’s why you have to think of the bigger picture.
Finding Meaning in Adversity
Now, of course you may say, “Well, what about tragedies, terrible things that happened to us?” We don’t look to justify tragedy; we’re not looking to rationalize it. We’re looking to understand how, once something happens, you take that disruption, that discomfort, and turn it into something… It’s not that we’re looking and seeking to disrupt our lives; we’re talking about things that come our way.
The good swimmer is not someone who never encounters storms. The difference between a good swimmer and a bad swimmer is that they’re both swimming; at that point, you may not be able to see the difference. In the words of Warren Buffett, “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.”
A storm comes, the bad swimmer, the inexperienced one, will try to fight the tide to the point of exhaustion. And who knows what will happen? The good swimmer recognizes it, says, “Oh, now’s not the time to try to swim through it. Let me let go, I’ll float, go with the waves.” They know how to navigate every given situation.
You see this with great athletes; it’s not just their strength, it’s knowing how to navigate, how to respond properly. Same thing in communication; it’s not just having the tools, but knowing how to be flexible and navigate the vicissitudes, the twists and turns, ups and downs, including the uncertainty.
Riding the Waves of Uncertainty
So when there’s uncertainty that you can’t fight – meaning, something that you can resolve, by all means, resolve it. But if it’s something you can’t resolve, maybe you shouldn’t try to resolve it, learn to ride on it, ride through it. That’s how we truly grow.
So when we look at the world today, especially if you follow the news every minute – which I do not recommend, I actually strongly discourage people from doing – because that feeds into all our insecurities, all our unknowns, and just drives fear into our hearts. Maybe it’s good for voyeurs, or maybe it’s good for entertainment… But since one has voyeurism and entertainment, the best way to stimulate yourself… What does the wise person do? As the Talmud says, “Who’s the wise one? He who sees the birthing.” He sees the birthing, he sees the consequence, he sees the results. He doesn’t look at the pregnancy, he looks at what it is bringing. He sees an egg; he knows this is going to give birth to a chick. He sees a disruption; he knows something else is going to emerge.
To look ahead, to look at the big picture. Disruption in the political scene, in technology, in the globe, and the economy, and so many other areas… This is an opportunity to see that, yes, we are at a turning point in history – more than ever.
The Spiritual Revolution: Our True Potential
And what’s the real question? Where are we turning to?
So this is not a prediction; this is based on my understanding of reading the texts, that we are turning towards a spiritual revolution. Because if you think of all the disruptions, look at what’s in common about all of them: The existing order – there’s a problem with it. We experience pain. We don’t like pain – it’s exactly like disruption – but pain is a reminder, it’s a red flag, it’s a wake-up call to do something about it.
When you look around, you’ll see the disruptions, all part of an old world order that includes divisiveness, includes materialism, includes things that cause tension. So what’s the solution? How do you lower the temperature?
You can lower it by treating the symptoms. Let’s say the two presidential candidates sit down and say, “From now on, we’re going to be civil.” I’m not saying it’s realistic or practical, but would that solve our problems? It would definitely be very, very promising and very encouraging – even if it were to happen.
The real root of the problems is: What do we really stand for? When things are comfortable, and we’re prosperous and successful, we don’t have to… we don’t ask that question. But when things are not comfortable, that’s the question we must ask: What do we stand for?
Channeling Distress into Expansion
I remember during COVID, I was asking young people… I was on many Zooms. I’d say, “What do we stand for? Video games, sexuality, money, power, control, or our higher values?”
When the Founding Fathers were pressured, because King George would not… was not relenting, and was oppressing them, that’s when they decided, finally, to declare independence. You can see it in their tone, they were apologetic even: “We have to explain why we’re declaring independence! Why can’t we just be comfortable with our hosts, King George of Great Britain?” Because of the oppression, the pain.
As we learned from the Jewish people, the first oppression documented in the Bible, in Egypt, the Egyptian slavery and exile, it says, “As they were oppressed and afflicted,” in direct proportion to that, “they blossomed and flourished.” Because they saw the ayin, they saw that painful state as the birthing of something greater, and they channeled their grief, they channeled their pain and their distress into tremendous power and strength.
The verse says, “From my distress I cry out to you, and you respond to me from your expansiveness.” Distress generates expansion, because it has that power! When we’re comfortable, then we’re far more on a plateau. What’s pushing us, what’s propelling us? It’s pressure, resistance, that brings out the greatest strengths.
You see that the very essence of a dam… you dam the water, you block it, and it builds up and builds up. You suddenly see, just a trickle of water becomes this tremendous force. That’s what all resistance does; that’s where we are in our lives.
But you have to get out of the mentality of the here and now, of the instant gratification, of the fast food, spontaneous-results mentality. Because that mentality says, “Hey, what are we going to do right now to exploit this opportunity, this… this second? I’m comfortable, I’m not comfortable…” But those that see the birthing, they see the bigger picture; those are the ones that will really benefit from the transition of one paradigm to another.
Embracing New Tools and Possibilities
So the spiritual revolution… meaning, our material needs have already been taken over by so many machines, more than we can even imagine. But as AI develops, and other technologies develop, we will be freed of most of our mundane activities. We’ll be freed of even some of our more sublime ones, too.
What are we going to be left with? The thing that makes us unique, our higher values, our transcendence – that’s the new world order. But we have to prepare for it. We don’t want it… we don’t need that to come as a surprise, even though the texts do say it will come as a surprise, because our present mentality doesn’t relate to anything that’s different. We don’t even imagine it.
So it’s time to start imagining, to start dreaming about a better world, a better reality. And it begins not just with a better reality of “How do I make more money? How do I buy an extra car? How do I provide more comforts for my family and myself?” but “How do I establish a spiritual vision for myself and my family?” Not just more of the same, because then it’s just the old paradigm.
Something new, something fresh, new initiatives, new pioneering programs…
- Start a class.
- Start hosting something in your home.
- Participate in something you haven’t done before.
- Start sending out, via email or social media, a beautiful message every day.
I mean, the list goes on. Be creative, but think out of the box, think beyond the present, think outside of the present circumstances.
New tools… The greatest, most refreshing and exhilarating thing is when you learn about new resources, when you discover new resources, and you learn new tools. Even though we’re comfortable with old ones, suddenly, someone shows you a new tool that you did not have in your repertoire, in your tool chest. And you say, “Wow! What can I do with that?” And you suddenly realize it can do things that your old tools could not do. That’s growth, that’s called opening yourself up to new possibilities, and having the courage to do so.
We don’t have to wait till the tide is out. We don’t have to wait for every disruption. We have enough going on.
Shifting Our Focus
So when people ask, for example, “How do I deal with this whole uncertainty, with all this discomfort? I watch the news every day; I watch Fox, CNN, MSNBC” – there you go, the entire spectrum is covered right there – “I don’t know who to believe, everyone has their own narrative. This one’s pro-this, this one’s anti-that…” There’s no room for seeing that each… that every side has some qualities. “No, you’re pro-this one, you’re anti-the other.” Why can’t you say there are some benefits here and some benefits there? Because people, again, are thinking in their own parochial, their own partisan, fashion.
Disruption is meant to get you out of the picture. Go up on the mountain, ask your little children, “Does it matter who’s president is going to be president?” They don’t even know the difference. I’m not saying there isn’t a difference, but that’s not the point. The point is that our focus has to be, “You know what? I’m fighting for…” – not this presidential candidate or that one, not this sports team or that sports team, not this hero or that hero – “I’m fighting for higher values. What do we stand for? What are we infusing ourselves and our children with about our mission in life? Why are we here? How are you going to use your skills to transform and beautify your corner of the world? How are you going to be an ambassador of light?
So instead of responding, instead of being reactive, become proactive.
I understand that requires a paradigm shift as well. Well, and that’s exactly why we have this discomfort – to get us out of that comfortable place.
Overcoming Fear and Embracing the Unknown
I remember as a kid, as a child… So, I learned to swim in the summer; we had our swimming pool, sometimes we were at a lake, the ocean… But then I decided, I don’t know, I was eight, nine years old, I wanted to learn how to dive. I know, I saw some people dive – I loved the elegance of it, the swan dive… It was the racer’s dive, I learned different types of dives.
I remember, I got onto the diving board, all excited. I went over, ready to jump, and I suddenly had this tremendous fear! I couldn’t… I… I couldn’t bring myself to jump into the water. And it wasn’t like a steep jump, okay?
I went back, “Let’s do it again.” On the diving board – same thing, froze. “Okay, I’ll count to ten: One, two, three… ten.” No, “I’ll count to a hundred, I’ll count to a thousand…” You know how it goes. And day after day in the summer, I could not bring myself to dive.
Summer ended, I’m back home, didn’t really have a chance to go swimming throughout the year. Next summer, “Okay, now I’m here, older.” Then I decide, “You know what? It’s not going from the diving board, why don’t I stand at the edge of the pool, and I’ll jump in?”
I couldn’t bring myself! What was the problem? I say, “I know how to swim, it’s not like I was afraid of water.” Once I’m underwater, and I’m standing on the ground, so what’s the big thing? What’s the worst thing? You fall in, make a belly flop, as they say. I mean, the old urban legend that your stomach will pierce open because you just ate breakfast…
What was the… what was I afraid of? One thing… someone says, “Okay, I’m afraid of water,” people… just a phrase, “I don’t want to go into the water.” That was not the issue.
So I decided, I got a trick: “I’m going to sit, instead of standing, I’m going to sit at the edge of the pool, and I’ll just drop in. That shouldn’t be difficult.” I started counting again… the counting, same problem. Until something happened…
You know what happened? I was sitting and counting, and had a friend who… pulled me… got me out of my torture by doing what? He snuck up behind me, and pushed me in!
And that was it! Once I was pushed in… “Hey!” And I could stand and dive… I’m back to the diving board, learned how to dive, this type of dive, that type of dive… I never had problems again.
And I always wondered, till this day, what was the problem? And I realized the problem was the ayin, between the yesh and the yesh. Yes, I knew how to stand on the ground, and I knew how to be in the water. But that split second where you’re not on the ground and not in the water, subconsciously, my psyche froze, was paralyzed. And fear, because that’s the unknown: What happens when you’re suspended? Once you’re in the water, no problem. Once you’re on the ground, no problem.
So there is a certain fear that we all have to get out of that comfort zone, which is why, sometimes, we need to be pushed. But I’m not suggesting someone pushing you against your will. I’m suggesting: Invite someone that you trust to kick you in the pants.
Embracing the Unknown, Shaping Our Destiny
That’s my bottom-line message. Yes, let the disruptions propel us, serve as a catalyst, a springboard, to tremendous growth, unprecedented growth.
That’s what deadlines do. As a writer, I can tell you that, as a speaker… If you don’t have deadlines, if you don’t have schedules, you… you’d still… I’d still be sitting and thinking, 20 years later, “Maybe this way, maybe that way…” You need that pressure.
An olive does not produce oil until you press it. And that, my friend, is what’s going on in our times. The disruption, the uncertainty everywhere… we are experiencing a turning point in history. The choice we have is… well, three, I could say.
- Either you go into denial, and just bury yourself and ignore the whole thing.
- Or, you get completely disturbed and unraveled by the uncertainty.
- Or, you turn the uncertainty into a fuel for growth, and you become part of shaping the unfolding destiny of your life and the life of the world.
One good thought, one good word, one good action tips the scales and brings personal and global redemption.
Thank you so much. This has been Simon Jacobson, MeaningfulLife.com. Please subscribe to this and all our programs, including our YouTube channel. Please share with others, and I’d love to hear your feedback, thoughts, comments, questions, rebuttals. So let’s keep things going, initiate, be proactive, and be excited about the unknown coming ahead, because it’ll lead us to the greatest possible future. Be well, and be blessed.
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