Uncertain – The wisdom and wonder of being unsure by Maggie Jackson
Prometheus Books 2023
As we make our way through life we long for clarity and understanding.
When I was younger, I once thought it best if all the world’s problems were solved and everyone could live in harmony. Conflict and confrontation were seen as things to be avoided. In some sense, we are all afraid of the dark. As I mature and learn more about the world around us, I realize that having everything figured out and being comfortable is not only unrealistic, it may be unhealthy.
Maggie Jackson, a thoughtful reporter with a keen interest in social trends invites us to rethink our attitudes toward what we do not know in her new book simply titled “Uncertain.” We are cautioned about our tendency to have undeserved confidence in our views when among like-minded colleagues. It can be downright dangerous to only seek advice from those who are likely to agree with us.
In order to better understand the value of being open to conflicting opinions, Maggie Jackson delves into the history of collaborating engineers at NASA. We learn that the engineers reviewing the Challenger’s readiness for flight were a tight knit group. They were too comfortable a tribe to consider the possibility that those Morton Thiokol O-rings were not up to the task.
Toward the end of the book things get interesting. Maggie has us sit in on a meeting of young mothers. They are each doing the best they can to meet the challenges of living in poverty and raising children who often have behavioral issues. We all know (I hope) about Walter Mischel’s famous marshmallow test. When your life has always been chaotic it may make perfect sense to pop that treat in your mouth. A bird in the hand is worth two in a bush. Children who have spent their formative years in precarity can actually be quite resourceful.
Willem Frankenhuis, a Dutch psychologist, noticed that much has been studied about what young children in poverty were lacking. His idea reminded me of the creed at the Racker Center. We might better focus on strengths rather than deficits. Living with uncertainty leads the evolving brain to develop hidden talents that are often overlooked.
Philip Zelazo, a renowned University of Minnesota researcher is also a champion of youth born into poverty. He discovered that a critical complement to survival mode is reflection. Working with a firm the manages Head Start programs, Zelazo created a program to teach reflection to families living in precarity.
In order to create a bit of structure and predictability for these poor families, Ready4Routines provides a structure and method for establishing patterns that make children’s lives less chaotic.
We cannot be sure what the future holds for us. Let us resist the urge think we have all the answers. Better that we embrace uncertainty. Listen carefully to other’s opinions. And by all means keep reading.
