Bewilderment is a person’s state of consciousness where they
aren’t certain of what is going on and they also don’t have clarity of the
present moment. In the assigned essay to read, Bewilderment by Fanny Howe where she expressed bewilderment as
remaining conscious of situations even when we may be unconscious, like when
you’re sleeping. Howe also described bewilderment as some sort of spiral that
has “no plain path, no up and down, no inside and outside” and has “strange
returns and recognitions and never a conclusion”. Bewilderment is expressed by
Howe in her essay as being necessary in our lives because it cures our need for
disorder as well as curiosity. A life full of certainty is a life full of bland
moments that leave a person completely bored out of their mind. Bewilderment balances out our need for
certainty because it allows every individual to add the element of surprise and
excitement to our lives. However, a life full of bewilderment is a life full of
chaotic scenarios, stress and broken promises. According to Google, certainty
is “incapable of failing” and is being “without a doubt”. This quality is
necessary in our lives to allow us to have security blanket and a sense of
control. Certainty is our sense of protection against the dangers of
bewilderment however it is essential to have both as they create balance in an
individual’s life. Having both bewilderment and certainty being a part of your
qualities allows an individual to lead a balanced life in which they can take
on life’s mysteries with both curiosities and certainty. Living a life with one
of those qualities and not the other would lead to chaos, boredom and many
finding life to be without purpose, it essential that we have both to live
comfortably and happily.
I view bewilderment as a type of sin, a sin against the norms of society. When people notice you breaking these norms you get looked at differently and they are left puzzled because you aren't following the standards of society. I believe that bewilderment is necessary in our lives because it keeps us guessing and eager to find the solution, it keeps you interested. On the other hand, certainty, we already know what's ahead and what's at stake. We have more confidence in our decisions with certainty and less doubt. Both bewilderment and certainty are necessities in our lives.
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