‘When nothing is sure, everything is possible.’ This is such a powerful quote from novelist Margaret Drabble.
In an article in Psychologies about how to find peace in unpredictable times, the author suggests: ‘Place your hands on your heart, breathe deeply and tune into a dream for yourself, your loved ones, your community and the world. What feels possible now?’
In the next few months (or even years), when many things are or will be uncertain, it is important that we start exploring new ways of thinking and start practising mindfulness.
In the above article, the author quotes Eve Menezes Cunningham (in her book 365 ways to feel better: self-care ideas for embodied wellbeing) who says that as humans, we are wired to fear uncertainty. People are trying to make sense of something hard to make sense of, but when we are faced with the messiness of our circumstances, magic happens.
Our ability to deal with the unknown is ‘negative capability’ − that is why we can build resilience − as we embrace uncertainty, our worlds open up. And to welcome uncertainty helps build ‘negative capability’ which, in turn, helps us to find potentially transformational ways to move forward.
Our cover profile, Grant Greeff, can attest to this, as his period of uncertainty and the way he embraced having his world turned upside down has been truly transformational. Read his inspiring story on page 12.
So, while we are not able to control life’sunpredictability, we can control our thoughts and behaviour. One of the many lessons this pandemic has taught us is that periods of uncertainty are inevitable – and that it is vital to build coping strategies. Maybe the first step in doing that is to embrace the unknown.
Gerinda Engelbrecht, Editor
