Stepping into Unknown

Stepping into Unknown… Part 1
by Neal R. Karski

As I’m sitting here and indulging in music on this beautiful Wednesday morning, I can’t help but to reminisce about many memories I’ve had, especially pertaining to this particular matter. Stepping into Unknown can be widely defined as coming into contact with something or someone that we are unfamiliar with or have not had the chance to explore. But to take a closer look at one’s life, millions of people can truly say that their experiences with new and undiscovered range far beyond. For many years now, I’ve inherently believed that taking that step [or steps] is essential to inner growth, shaping of character and accumulation of diverse knowledge.

Following, I will share some thoughts about Stepping into Unknown and relate it back to some of my own experiences.

Emi and immigration

Whenever one leaves a native country, he or she commits to a significant change and this decision translates into a leap… a leap into Unknown. It’s a decision to leave one place, one’s comfort, and to become part of another. This, at times, becomes strenuous, not only physically but also mentally and socially, as one strives to fit in and adapt to the new environment. It’s extremely difficult to leave things behind, yet it is even harder to let them go especially where the forecast for the future is not clear. But we’re faced with difficulties on a daily basis and life challenges us to take a look around and not cling to the days that have passed, even when nostalgia and memories reappear frequently. Every breath, every look, every touch, every taste, every sound, is a step into another dimension, into something new. Emigration and immigration just define it more particularly in regard to people, places and external conditions. Moving from one location to another was quite the trend for me and family; our constant re-locating from the U.S. to Europe and back became a part of my life. I was forced to, by my circumstances, to play the system and recover from the loss of consistency and settlement by establishing a fresh life wherever I had gone. I’ve seen a lot and I have learned a lot. And at this point of time, when I have realized that everything in my life has happened for a reason, I began to understand that my will to reach out and to build upon new grounds has taught me how to be strong and expand my capabilities.

Faith

Concept of faith has always interested me immensely. A few years ago, I began observing the responsiveness of people to the supernatural or divine. I’ve found that many people were on the edge; they were hesitant about picking sides. Their beliefs were hanging and undefined, just waiting to be realized into bigger commitments or be diminished by the lack of desire to step into Unknown. In the bottom line, faith is purely just that. It is a huge step into Unknown – a dedication to one’s moral and ethical beliefs that helps that person lead his or her life in a manner freely chosen. Faith is not easy. It does not come with a warranty. But it does bring results and fulfillment of the soul. Faith calls for believing in the state of uncertainty [imagine knowing what truly occurred or is occurring, faith would not exist as faith anymore, it would purely stand as a factual component of one’s knowledge].With many obstacles, injuries and sorrows in my life I’ve found this step to be one of the most amazing ones I’ve ever taken.

And remember… Every day, we come across a plethora of people that we influence, directly or indirectly. Today, learn and know how you can influence those people in a positive way!

God Bless.

Facing the Unknown. Taking the Plunge.

by George A. Miu

Throughout the course of any given lifetime, there comes a moment in which no amount of reasoned decision-making spares the necessity of undergoing some experience that involves many unknown factors. In order to work with these terms handily, I have to define my concept of the “unknown”: namely, that of an event or series of occurrences whose internal mechanisms are not well-understood, or impossible to consider, by the subject therein.

All people must confront the unknown. Whether this is in the form of moving to a different country, or a new school district, it almost always constitutes a stressful experience and has the power to elicit personal traits that lay dormant in the person. Nevertheless, one should never associate novel occurrences with negativity or fear. In fact, they can catalyze a great deal of internal development and ultimately serve to bring about an increased maturity and perspective on life.

Ultimately, the only certainty that exists in the universe is that of death – one of the greatest unknowns conceivable. However, in today’s complex society, an ever-increasing proportion of the general population is forced to grapple with decisions that may result in the genesis of an unknown, or hitherto unknowable, experience. It is in these instances that we look to familiar sources for solace; Today’s Realities intends to provide these for all who care to read. So, yours truly, an immigrant across three continents and lifelong nomad, attempts to distill the difficulties of facing the unknown:

1. Recall, always, that the unknown is finite. Contrary to popular belief and immediate perception, no individual situation is perpetually unfamiliar. As humans, our capacity to adapt will kick in, at some point, and we will eventually acclimatize ourselves to the new surrounding state-of-affairs.

2. All knowledge is rooted directly in having been a part of unfamiliar environments. As newborns, we have no intrinsic understanding of the world around us; we merely acquire it through continued experimentation and a willingness to “explore”. Indeed, as our desire to investigate the most minuscule aspects of life diminishes, so too do our learning faculties, in terms of rate of acquisition of information.

3. Personal development cannot occur without interactions in a medium that is on the periphery, if not totally outside, of our comfort zone. Personality traits that we use on a daily basis were, at one time, unknowns, which would have been rendered permanently unknowable had we had an aversion to the experience that brought them forth. Many would claim that there can be no maturity without the unknown playing a part in its formation.

While these comments are mere generalities, they are designed to encourage our esteemed readers to look inside of themselves and recognize that taking the plunge is not only necessary, but downright beneficial in the long-run. So take a chance. Your reward will be the rest of your life to reflect upon it.