We can’t escape uncertainty. But, if we repress it or deny its existence, we open ourselves up to be preyed on by those peddling certainty in a world that is inherently chaotic. So what can we do? And perhaps most importantly, how can we build communities in a world where uncertainty can make any connection feel tenuous?

How Does Uncertainty Impact Community Connections?

We’ve all seen it.

Some sort of chaotic or unexpected turmoil setting fire to the world stage.

The tenseness, the wonder.

“What are we going to do?”

Where uncertainty exists, it can push us towards our community or heighten the divisions and distrust that already exist there. This is why we need to be prepared for uncertainty to rear its head, even when things appear to be moving along smoothly in our communities.

I was recently reading the book Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat by Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, and Julian Walker (great book, do recommend!). The authors highlighted an important pattern! Where uncertainty exists unacknowledged, it leaves room for peddlers of myth and division to take hold. Why? Because when we don’t know what to expect out of chaos, our brains will naturally latch onto something that feels stable and predictable, whether that something is in our best interest (or our community’s) or not.

Unfortunately, this means that we are all naturally vulnerable to conspiracy theories and sales tactics if we are uncomfortable with uncertainty. And uncertainty itself – it’s not going anywhere.

In my work with Vibrant Systems and as a community mentor, I have seen firsthand how even the most well-planned events and projects will be thrown for a loop. There are so many variables to consider! People have their own responsibilities. Governments may experience endless delays in distributing grant funding. The interest of community members may wane quicker than expected.

Overwhelming world events can show up and disrupt supply chains and the status quo at any time.

How does all this effect the community connections we experience?

Uncertainty creates unease, unease creates disconnect

We all tend to deal with our fears in different ways. When something happens that brings chaos to the forefront, and we have no idea what to expect in the next week (let alone the next year), the mind has a way of contingency planning.

Unfortunately, those plans focus on worst case scenarios. This can create anxiety.

Some of us find it very difficult to escape anxiety. Others prefer not to sit with that anxiety at all.

What do we get?

Some people who are overwhelmed by their fear and seeking comfort, and others who refuse to deny the fear they feel.

This is an immediate disconnect popping up in our community.

And navigating this disconnect in a way that both honours the fear we may feel, and is realistic about the risks in the chaos is not easy. When people want to be comforted, rarely do they want to hear that some bad thing is unlikely (but still possible). A much preferable option is one that creates a certainty that if you simply do X, Y, Z, you will be perfectly fine.

But the reality is the world is never that simple. We can’t X, Y, Z ourselves away from uncertainty.

To have this false certainty torn away with ungraceful realism does create a wound, and often leads to clinging to the illusion of safety. In communities where a hard dose of reality is offered instead of compassion, the wound can quickly widen the rift of disconnection. What once might have been a space of friendship and honest connection, now isn’t. Now it feels like a place of ridicule. People pull inwards, and the disconnection spreads.

How Does Vibrant Systems Approach Uncertainty?

If we can’t totally eliminate uncertainty, then how can we address it in a way that avoids the risk of disconnection? At Vibrant Systems, I move forward into uncertainty grounded in honesty and integrity. This means we don’t deny its existence, but rather build space for uncertainty in the projects, programs, and systems we create.

It looks like expanding skills so we are better able to cope with unexpected outcomes.

It looks like creating connections within the community, because we have multiple ways for information and responsibility to move through the network.

Perhaps most importantly, it looks like grounding and rooting into something we DO have control over – ourselves and the values we embody.

Because when we know what we truly care about and hope to accomplish, that becomes the compass we can use to navigate unfamiliar and uncertain terrain.

Our values can help us navigate conflict and repair within a community. They help guide us on the kind of information is actually helpful. Importantly, values let us respond to the unexpected in a way that is still aligned to community intention. It’s our values that guide us towards our shared vision when the fog of uncertainty rolls in.

The blessing hidden in uncertainty

While chaos can feel overwhelming and frightening, the truth is it’s not a reason to catastrophize. We owe our very existence to the chaos that gave rise to our planet, and the conditions that helped our species thrive.

Uncertainty, even when it holds monsters of risk, is also where expansion happens.

We don’t know everything to expect. We never will. That’s part of life.

But we can reframe the capacity for risk – we can balance it. When we view uncertainty as also a space for hope to grow and for opportunity to sprout, suddenly, the things we don’t know don’t feel like monsters in the shadows. Suddenly, they begin to feel like curiosity and perhaps even excitement. Even a challenge can be reframed as a way to build strength between community members – an opportunity to celebrate our collective resilience.

Even when it doesn’t feel like it, uncertainty is a space of blessings.

When we open our eyes to the good possibilities hiding in the unknown, it feels a lot easier to walk into that unknown bravely.

Working With Vibrant Systems Is Easy

Are you interested in working with Vibrant Systems?

Vibrant Systems offers tiers of service for those who want a grounded, connected, and values-centered approach to community building:

• Build your capacity for uncertainty by investing in the Elements of Self video course
• Access the Transforming Community Guidebook and see how Vibrant Systems navigates uncertainty
• Get a quote on a Vibrant Systems facilitation session
• Learn more about partnering with Vibrant Systems in Community Mentorship

Vibrant Systems meets you and your community where you are at. In whatever stage stage of planning, connecting, or building, Vibrant Systems has services for you.

Let’s make your story a vibrant one!