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"Tolerate ambiguity." (From this list.)
Ambiguity is scary – oh look it is fear again.
By far as a species, we seem to prefer black and white and super-clear-cut versions of reality. Many religious texts preach completely unrealistic and simplistic (idiotic) black and white views of the world, and judgements on people.
Most of us viscerally react with discomfort when meeting a transgendered person or a drag queen for the first time. Learning to be ok with ambiguity is hard, so comfortable we are in our simple boxes of how-the-world-should-be.
There is fear in allowing ourselves to be comfortable with ambiguity because we are uncomfortable with ourselves – of who we are and what we stand for. We are afraid to rely to our own instincts to make our own decisions about the world around us – instead preferring to be told what is black and what is white.. We fear the loss of ourselves if we were to let go of our think black and white realities and accept the glorious greyness of life.
And perhaps deep down, we fear the infinite possibilities in the greyness.
Creativity opens up this greyness. The simultaneous holding of supposedly mutually exclusive concepts in our head is both exhilarating and frightening. It takes control over one’s ego, and confidence in oneself to be able to carry it off. For creativity to become more widespread in business, it thus requires that the people in business grow to become more at ease with who they are.
Not easy.
