I’ve heard the word ‘uncertain’ repeated over and over in the news this week. With the EU referendum on Thursday, the killing of MP Jo Cox and the mass murders in Orlando; I know it, and I feel it too. It’s a time of unknowns- how our country will identify itself in the world, how we weigh up tragedy, murder and loss with life moving forward, and how in that two-way momentum, we hold onto anything, most of all, hope. In my experience, with uncertainty comes helplessness, because, if there’s nothing solid to cling onto now, how does anything come out the other end definite, dependable, and above all things, certain.
It occurs to me though, that we might be fooling ourselves- that now is a time where the uncertainty of the world we live in has been made more visible to us- but, really, it’s been that way forever; I suspect that we’re living in a constant state of uncertainty, but we’ve gotten good at building structures around us that tell us something different. I suspect that uncertainty is something we all face every single day, because, although we might have expectations about what our day will hold, about how our relationships will work, about how we will spend our time, who we will spend it with, how we’ll feel at the end of it and what will happen to us, we’ve really no idea. And of course, it’s right that we have expectations- it makes us human, gives us hope and a future to aim for and move towards. But it’s what happens when those expectations aren’t met, when we’re anything but certain- that’s the bit I think I’m struggling with.
I believe a lot of the hate we see in this world comes down to fear- fear of uncertainty. If things aren’t what you planned, hoped for, or expected, it can be terrifying, and I’m only talking about my own small share, let alone all of yours. Add that together and we’re essentially fucked. But how much easier it is to attribute that fear of the unknown, of uncertainty, that things might actually get worse, onto something, or someone, because, if we do that, things are certain and solid again- there’s action that can be taken, things that can be done- if x is responsible for y, we just need to minimise the impact of, even better do away with, x. And x by the way could be anyone, literally anyone, anything- open a newspaper, go for a walk, look around you, take your pick.
And that’s why I’m setting up a new theatre company- Anything Other. Our aim is to sit in that sticky uncertain middle bit, called life. We want to bring people together to muddle through that uncertainty, that fear, to find, strengthen and celebrate the bits that connect us. Uncertainty isn’t going anywhere, but I believe that we can change the way we relate to it, sit in it and struggle with it, and it could be a point for connection, if we’re brave enough. www.anythingother.co.uk
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