One Thing I'm Learning During COVID-19

I've said this more times that I can count recently but, we are living in crazy times, aren't we? For the past almost 20 years, I held the belief that what happened on September 11, 2001 would be the defining event of my lifetime. And while the tragedy of that day will not be forgotten, what we're going through right now with the COVID-19 pandemic may just move into that not-so-enviable first place position. There are two primary reasons that I think this is the case.

First, this pandemic is a global crisis. The impact of 9/11 was certainly greater than only the United States, but there's no denying that this global pandemic is having much wider geographical impact, overall. Additionally, there is the influence of time. 9/11 was a relatively isolated incident in space and time. There were and are waves of impact from it that we still feel today and will feel moving forward. However, the event itself was more-or-less confined to a specific place and short time period. This COVID-19 pandemic is, as I've mentioned, global, and in addition the duration of the "event" is significantly longer. We are going on over a year of dealing with this virus globally and while there is a huge reason for hope, there is no clear end in site. Especially when we consider the potential for this to be a seasonal event moving forward. All that to say, this is a massive event that the vast majority of us have never experienced before and we have no idea how long it will last or the full scope of the impact on our lives moving forward.

One of the most challenging parts of this whole thing we are going through is that there is so much uncertainty. We don't know when it will end. We don't know who will get sick or how badly. We don't know the impact on the economy or the job market. We don't know if it will come back. We just don't know. And while I am the first to admit that not knowing is really hard, I am also learning that not knowing is incredibly powerful and life-giving.

We live in an age of information overload. Everywhere we turn there is more information. News, social media, podcasts, and blog posts by random guys (I guess that includes me!). And while all of this information at our fingertips can be useful, it can also lead to assumed knowledge and even more dangerously, certainty. Being certain about something can be comforting but as author Mark Manson says, "Certainty is the enemy of growth." If I ever plan to learn anything new or grow in any way I must begin at a point of admitting that I don't know, that I am uncertain. The great stoic philosopher Epictetus once said something similar, "If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid with regard to external things. Don't wish to be thought to know anything."

Interestingly (and maybe a little counter intuitively), what I've found is that those who know very little, tend to be most certain about what they think they know and those who actually know a great deal, are often much more open to being wrong or admitting what they don't know. It's called the Dunning-Kruger Effect. I've read more books over the past 5 years than I did in the 29 years prior to that combined and I can honestly say, that while I know significantly more now than at any other time in my life, I am much less willing claim that I know many things for certain. I think the exposure to a broad range of people, viewpoints, experiences, and histories tend to pop those small isolated bubbles that many of us find ourselves living in. As a result, while we may know more information, our awareness of the world has grown and we've realized how little we really knew all along.

I will add one caveat to this, and that is that while I am more willing to admit that I'm wrong or that I don't know the answers now, this broad exposure has also cemented or strengthened many of my core values and beliefs, which actually makes a lot of sense. If I am more secure in my core values and beliefs and who I am as a person, that foundation will in turn allow me to be more open to everything else.