How quickly we get bored with what we understand. The unknown and the confusing is what truly attracts us and keeps us engaged.
Think about when you first started a new activity such as a job or your first day of college. Fast forward three months later. That same job or class is completely different in terms of how you think about the people, the space, and how you interpret every experience. The original nervousness, excitement, and enthusiasm are gone – everything has become routine and digested.
When we first meet somebody that we’re attracted to, much of the excitement is contained in the fact that we don’t know who they are and what they will do. Anything seems possible. Once we get to know them, we will never feel the same way because we now understand how they operate.
This is the difficulty in finding a job or relationship that works. A creative job, such as being an artist, is always inconsistent and wildly unpredictable. But the possibility of creating something new and interesting makes it worthwhile. Routine jobs bring the benefit of predictability and clear cut goals, but it’s hard to stay continually interested in anything where you can predict what will happen in advance. Same with relationships. The predictable relationship is satisfying in its dependability but rarely emotionally riveting.
Why do we like the unknown? Because, as stated before, anything is possible. When anything is possible, there is always the hope of a transcendent experience. Routine behavior rarely brings up such feelings. When I think back on my most memorable experiences, they were almost always unforeseen. Plans and routines create massive limitations, but they also create stability.
The concept of balance seems to be a recurring theme on this blog. How do you create a life framework that is generally reliable but leaves ample room for unknown, transcendent experiences?
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