When reading this daily prompt, I really had to take a minute and think about my answers. It took me the entire day. I thought to myself “Could I come up with a list of 10 things I know to be absolutely certain?” I wasn’t too sure.

My list started out looking something like this.

1. The only thing certain in life is death.
2. For every action there is an equal positive or negative reaction.
3. Balance will always find a way.
4. The only thing constant in life is change.
5. Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.
6. Thoughts = actions = habits = lifestyle.
7. Time is relative.
8. Nothing is independent of anything else.
9. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
10. The more you learn, the more you realize you know nothing.

Number 10 brings me to my title. One thing for sure, is that the more you know, there are two things for certain; one, you realize you actually know nothing, and two, it would take an infinite amount of lifetimes to actually learn and know everything. Henceforth, are there really things that someone can know for certain?

Certainty to me is like perfection. It only exists within the parameters of a person’s perspective. Let’s break my list down.

1. The only thing certain in life is death.

Death is perceptively different to everyone. Some see death as just the body decomposing, but the spirit, energy, or soul moving on to something different. Some see death as just the end of all things, nothing follows. Some see death as a transformation, a metamorphosis. So, I questioned myself, is death a certainty. Within the different perspectives of views, not really. Not everyone is going to experience a death, so to speak.

2. For every action there is an equal positive or negative reaction.

Now this one, I was pretty sure was a certainty. It’s pretty much the third law of thermodynamics. Not a theory, a law. Tested to the point of … certainty. Right? I think in the realm of physics we can say this is so. But what about neutrality?

Be prepared, silly reference incoming. I love the action anime (some just say cartoon) Avatar. In season 2 episode 3, the main character Aang is trying to save an old friend from capture, king Bumi. As Aang is saving him, King Bumi tells Aang that he does NOT want to be saved. Aang is confused and asks King Bumi, why he doesn’t want to be saved. King Bumi responds with something that blew my mind. He basically tells Aang there are more responses to an action than just a positive or negative reaction, there is a neutral reaction, and even a possibility of a numerous reactions.

Now, ok, were talking the law of thermodynamics may not apply to the woes and throes of life, because we all know life is not black and white, there’s a lot of grey. But this furthers my point of there being an outlier to “for every action there is an equal positive or negative reaction. Again, not for certain on this one.

3. Balance will always find a way.

The pendulum of life I believe is constantly moving. So eventually balance will find a way, but on the other end of the spectrum doesn’t that mean chaos and imbalance will always find a way too? How can we be certain when (if) the pendulum does ever stop, it will stop on balance? Has anyone experienced this. Life is full of waxes and wanes, ups and downs, backs and forth. Sometimes there’s balance, sometimes there’s not. Balance will find a way, but so will chaos.

4. The only thing constant in life is change.

I just knew this was the absolute I was looking for. Everything changes all the time. Nothing is ever the same, right? I mean what has been the same for … forever. Then it hit me, time. But isn’t time the measuring factor to change? Things change over a period of time, right? This one is a close certainty, but I’m not for sure an absolute.

Now before I go any further, I think it’s apparent the path that I’m taking with this post. This is only a personal perspective of course, but I’m not certain there is anything that I’m absolutely certain of. That term absolute, it’s quite fixed. A term of totality.

absolute – adj.

1. Not qualified or diminished in any way; total.
2. viewed or existing independently and not in relation to other things; not relative or comparative.

absolute – (noun) a value or principle which is regarded as universally valid, or which may be viewed without relation to other things.

“acording to the Oxford Languages under a google search“

I am a person that loves words and their meanings. I love they symphony of them. To put them together to convey a meaning for all of us to communicate and connect. It’s quite astounding. But I’m also a person that wants to be absolutely sure that what I’m saying and what I’m receiving is the proper conveyance when communicating.

So, when the prompt states to list 10 things you know to be absolutely certain, after careful consideration, I am unable to list 10 things. I’m not to certain I’m able to list one. I’m not absolutely certain about anything. I’m quite certain about some things, pretty sure about others, have working theories on a bunch of other stuff. But to be absolutely certain is quite a remarkable thing.

Don’t get me wrong, and I’m not trying to be a Debbie downer, no offense to all the Debbies out there, my own mother’s name is Deborah; my original list is still a good list of life’s certainties. I just wouldn’t refer to them as absolutes. And even as I read other bloggers responses, they are all very good lists as well; and if they feel they are absolutely certain about their lists I am not in disagreement with that either.

I challenge myself, and encourage others to ask themselves the question, what are the things that we truly know, and what do we know for certain, and is there anything we know for absolute certainty.

Peace and Blessings, Always Anima