Reasonably Sure

"When we are not sure, we are alive."  - Graham Greene

What trait that annoys you in others do you perpetually struggle with yourself? Those folks who are certain all the time can really trigger me. And yet, I do battle every day with the same demon. What strategies do you use to keep certainty from closing your mind?

I seem to be better able to keep creeping certainty out of my writing than out of some other domains of my life. Consequently, the phrase "reasonably sure" - which I frequently use when writing - has slowly worked its way into my conversations, especially the more tense variety. When it works, i.e. I'm sounding less certain, the subsequent turn in conversations sometimes gratifies me. Other times, I feel wishy-washy for using a modifier. Add in an ego tug-of-war with one of those "I'm sure of it!" people and things don't go real well for this bell curve blogger.

But gratified, wishy-washy, or ego-tested - as Graham Greene asserts - I do feel more alive and alert to nuance whenever I make space for a little uncertainty. Still, this dilemma is likely to be around a while longer. Of that, I'm reasonably sure.