Managing uncertainty

Most of us would all like a black and white life, where most of the issues are clearly delineated and in which the so-called “gray areas” are few and far between. If that were the case, everything would be much easier. From going to school, to picking the right job, the perfect mate and living happily ever after... The reality is that we have very little choice but accept a certain amount of uncertainty. Generally, the more we can tolerate, the farther we’ll go and the more thrills we’ll get. As a result, the price tag required for that kind of elevated (albeit not guaranteed) outcome it a greater share of both anxiety and risk. So far, this makes pretty good sense. The next dimension to consider is that of time-frame. A generous dose of uncertainty is much more palatable at age twenty than it is at age sixty. Perhaps a more flexible approach would be to cut down on the amount of required uncertainty as we grow older?