As nature abhors a vacuum so my mind abhors an unsolved mystery.

I have no idea how common or uncommon this characteristic is in society. I know only that I experience this condition. Most of the truly important questions in this universe probably never have occurred to me, but any question brought to my mind that I cannot answer causes me to experience considerable unrest.


Understanding the dynamic of this phenomenon in my life has produced tremendous beneficial effect.  The knowledge does not make the discomfort disappear.  It does help me to avoid making stupid and sometimes harmful mistakes just to make the discomfort go away.

Many behavioral scientist teach that the human brain does not know the difference between the truth and a lie, between reality and fantasy.  The brain only knows what is familiar to it and uses that "information" to help sort any new information.  Some brains apparently dislike any information that cannot be properly pigeon holed.  That condition in effect constitutes an unanswered question in my brain's operation. 

This condition causes me to suffer another problem of my own unintentional design: My brain is inclined to accept the first plausible answer to any existing enigma just to eliminate the discomfort.  My brain is automatically predisposed not to weigh the validity of the answer, so long as the apparent answer is reasonably plausible given my brains concept of "normal" at the time.  As I perceive the problem, my brain is predisposed to err just so long as the error resolves the nagging question.

I found this knowledge both humbling and empowering.  Humbling because I had no idea how many times I have unconsciously invoked this remedy to my own demise in the past.  It was empowering because it allowed me to define not only my problem but also its solution.  Several of the blog's more recent entries speak about the importance of the process of waiting.  Understanding the nature of my condition empowers me to live with the discomfort of the question while I participate in the waiting process.  It also enables me to live with the answer, "I do not know." 

To the degree you experience any of these conditions or symptoms, I hope these observations will be just as useful to you.