Nature, Security, and a Paradox

Despite a certain level of order, nature is chaotic, random, and even dangerous. Whether it’s natural disasters or car crashes, we’re surrounded by a lack of predictability that threatens our mortality. In fact, it’s the chaos that makes danger truly dangerous, because, if we could see it coming ahead of time, we could just side step the issue. Everyone would be safe and we’d all live happily ever after without any tension.

To try and overcome the randomness of danger we seek out security through assurances. We work the nine to five for the big company and follow the major political leaders all for this reason. We want that guarantee. Our time and support is all it takes. Follow the culture of the group and everything will be ok. Conformity is always the price, because becoming average is the solution. It’s not a conspiracy though. It’s because the only way to give that many people the security they’re demanding is to design something that fits the average. As a result, we must get rid of our edges that don’t fit in. The things that make us identifiable. Eliminate them and we can build a stable system that stands up to nature.

The modern world has only elevated anxiety and fear. It hasn’t trapped us though. It just reminds us of nature, chaos, and the inherent danger. It then gives a solution based on what it knows has worked. We're happy to follow for the temporary relief of fear. This cycle will continue until we stop reacting. When we stop looking for assurances and start trying to come up with solutions ourselves. This means getting comfortable with failing, making mistakes, and being wrong. If we can't then we shouldn't be surprised to find ourselves sacrificing more of ourselves than is healthy. This is part of the paradox of security and freedom all of us face every day.