Welcome to the era of 'no one knows'

I think I will call this Robin's Law. Maybe it already exists. Essentially it is the law that explains the mild frustration we get when we suggest that "no one knows."

To know is to sense that we have control. To say that nobody knows is to suggest a universal mood of wary uncertainty. Perhaps the first draft of Robin's Law might be, "Data and uncertainty increase at the same rate."

Robin is the artist who created the Pixabay image above. I must assume, without knowing, that it is a self-portrait. It seems to me an apt image fo express "no one knows."

Triadic thought

This fits in well with my philosophy, which sees most things as vague and a bit mysterious.

In my book, to be contrarian is a good defense mechanism. To be a true believer seems to me the very height of danger. To compensate for this cowardice, I propose that we confine our sense of what we absolutely know to a few values and keywords.

I am actually an entrepreneur who sells free keywords and phrases. I do it by writing cheap Kindle books. I do not recommend them. They are the ever-changing products of a vague and easily-distracted mind.

Those values

But if you have read this far you will be regaled by three of the keywords that I equate with salvation, insofar as salvation is possible.

They are tolerance, helpfulness, and democracy.

If you are alone on a desert island, forget them. They are social values.

If you believe all is mechanical, nothing is free or left to chance, you might also take a pass. These are just the only ways we will be saved.

Foundation

A strong opinion goes a long way. I have held these values dear for decades and they have been implicit for longer than that. Many hold them dear. My only claim is that I consider all three constantly.

They are the basis for acting and expressing, for navigating a world where no one really knows what is next.

Losing battle

As you might surmise, even stabs at simplicity are suspect. But if you live with my three values you will see their utility.

We cannot solve our intolerant, unhelpful, and undemocratic economy by believing a postcard will answer all our problems. A postcard won't solve anything, according to the New York Times.

Our tax requirements reflect our problems more than an answer.

Scary prognosis

The law propounded above -- that data and uncertainty grow at the same rate -- is only defeated by allowing ourselves to be triadic thinkers who have bedrock values by which we evaluate everything.

Binary thinkers are yesterday. We triadic types own the future, but only if we see the problem and act individually to adjust.