How Do You Make Sense of the World

Colorado Plateau

Here’s a question: how do you make sense of the world? The little things and the big things, what guides your understanding of why events unfold the way they do? How do you come to terms with what and why people do what they do and how do you explain the good and the bad and just the all around confusing?

I ask because I’m really wondering. It seems since pandemic, politics and the real effects of climate change converged in a big way over the last couple years, everyone is grasping for something. For meaning, for understanding. For solid ground underfoot and confidence in a direction forward. I certainly am and I’m feeling some sort of rubric to sort it all out would be helpful. If such a thing were to exist.

Science, spirituality, philosophy - all frameworks that help us understand the world. Magic, observation and imagination seem like perfectly valid options too. And what about connection? To each other and the world around us. That strikes me as being important in parsing things.

I look to books for help with all this. I like to delve into ideas that others have explored. I think beautiful writing is a powerful way to convey insight into the things that fill us all with questions and wonder. And I have dear friends I investigate these ideas with and that is a fascination and a huge blessing. Their curiosity and creativity in looking at the world is both inspiring and comforting.

But still, there aren’t solid answers to the big questions and that’s something I grapple with. Partly I love that there’s so much we don’t know. It’s all such mystery and magic and beyond human arrogance. But partly I’d also appreciate some solid answers, some directions I could follow with confidence. What do you think? Is there a way to find a balanced point between the knowing and the unknowing? How do you understand the misunderstandings?

I really thank you for entertaining my questions. I’d love to hear how you navigate it all.

Love,

Rosie