Lean into the Mystery

I recently submitted an idea for a TEDx talk, 

But it was turned down with the feedback: “No bad science." 

Ouch. This touched upon an insecurity of mine,

The struggle to: 

• To articulate the inexplicable, 

• Prove the existence of a higher power, 

• To give irrefutable evidence that what I’ve experienced is real.

Even when I asked one of my closest friends if he believed me, he responded, 

“I believe, that YOU believe, what you experience is real.” 

(He’s an engineer by training 😉)

***

With every setback comes a silver lining, and here’s mine: 

Stop trying so hard. 

The Universe, in all its complexity, cannot be fully captured by words or scientific data. Even the best descriptions are approximations. There’s beauty in the mystery, in accepting that some things are beyond our grasp. If everything could be explained, it would lose its divine essence. 

As the Tao Te Ching begins, “Any Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.”

So, instead of trying to explain, I’m leaning into the Unknown. 

This shift in perspective has been liberating. It’s a move from proving to living, from collecting evidence to experiencing. I’ve found a deeper connection to the world by reveling in it, instead of cracking its mysteries.

The thing is, our quest for proof can sometimes blind us to the wonder of simply being. The universe, life, and existence itself are vast, intricate puzzles that no amount of data can fully solve.

Living the mystery doesn’t mean abandoning reason or dismissing science. 

It means recognizing the limits of our understanding and being open to the awe that comes with those limits. It means finding peace in the unknown and joy in the journey of discovery. There is beauty in what cannot be proven, in the spaces between science and the sublime.

It is in these gaps that we often find the most profound truths about our existence. 

As I lean into this perspective, I invite you to do the same. 

Embrace the mystery.

Because it’s in the inexplicable that we often find the deepest connections to life, to each other, and to the Universe itself.