TL;DR

Here are the certainties of life:

  1. Death is guaranteed and its due date is unknown
    • everyone will die
    • we don’t know when death will come
    • we will (most likely) be forgotten in three generations
    • Death has many interpretations (Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Existentialism, Stoicism, etc.)
  2. Change is the only constant
    • From an optimistic perspective, this means that whatever struggle you are currently facing, it will come to pass
    • The famous Stoic phrase, “This too shall pass”
      • If you feel upset about your current circumstances, this too shall pass
      • If you’re feeling like you’re on top of the world, this too shall pass
  3. The time will pass forward
    • Never let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it because the time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use
  4. All events can be expressed as probabilities
    • Life is inherently risky
    • You can put all your time and effort into a project, company, relationship, or dream, but there’s only a probability that it will succeed-it may very well fail!
      • But that does mean you give up? No! Be patient, and at some point, your hard work will pay off because the more effort you do, the greater the probability, and at some point it will, mathematically, payoff
  5. Basic Laws of Physics (gravity, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, etc.)
  6. Cause and Effect: every action has a consequence
  7. Individual Subjectivity: no two individuals will have exactly the same experience of reality; the lense through which they view reality is influenced from their unique collection of personal experiences and perspectives
    • Our relatability to another person is proportional to our prior capacity for self-identity and freedom

Everything else is what we call religion, philosophy, and ideology.

Whom am I speaking to? Who is this going to help?

The anxious type-A person who needs a reality check.

How does this opinion explain how the world really works in a way that accurate, wholistic, and realistic?

Most of life is uncertain.

Given your thoughts and opinions, what practical actions can we take?

Becoming more comfortable with ambiguity will serve you better in the long run.