uncertainty is the cultural condition

2025 has not been for the weak. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been living in some form of uncertainty this year. And unfortunately, it’s not just personal anymore—it’s cultural. Not knowing where the hell your life is going has basically become a rite of passage.

The old formula? Graduate college, get a 9–5, settle down, retire? Yeah… that timeline quietly evaporated. Most of us are just standing here like, Cool. Now what?

Maybe you’ve had the rug pulled out from under you more than once. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for a sign from God that never quite arrives. I know I have. And every time it happens, it feels like being suspended in midair—no ground, no direction, just vibes and anxiety.

Here’s what I’ve landed on: this is the world we’re in now. And we have two options. We can ride the wave, or we can let it drag us under. That choice—subtle, internal, made daily—decides whether we sink or swim.

The World We’re Trying to Survive

We’re attempting to keep up with a world moving faster than we can emotionally process. If society were a graph, one line would be skyrocketing—AI, tech, medical breakthroughs, global access to information. The other would be free-falling—job market instability, political polarization, war, environmental collapse.

It’s whiplash.

Generationally, we’re stuck in a stalemate. Boomers are gripping systems that once promised security, often emotionally unhealed and confused as to why they no longer work. Gen Z is begging to be seen, trying to build a life without a clear path or safety net. Boomers don’t get why wellbeing is non-negotiable. Gen Z doesn’t get the emotional distance they inherited.

And honestly? There’s just too much going on. None of us were meant to carry the state of the world on our individual nervous systems.

How People Are Coping (or Not)

From a bird’s-eye view, I see a few different responses to all this uncertainty.

Some people—especially younger generations—are turning inward. As a 23-year-old myself, I’ll say this plainly: being thrown into adulthood post-pandemic was both humbling and exhausting. A lot of us are tired of the outside world dictating our chances of success. So when external reality feels unstable, we do the only thing that feels within our control: we focus on ourselves.

I always say: when you don’t know what to pursue, pursue yourself. Then the right path will reveal itself.

Then there are people who let their circumstances define their worth. And honestly, that makes sense—it’s how we were programmed. We were taught that life is linear, that work equals security, and security equals value. So when the title disappears or the timeline derails, the identity goes with it.

Most people let life happen to them instead of through them. We’re conditioned to believe worth has to be earned, not assumed. So when there’s nothing external to prove it, we panic. We cling to labels, milestones, productivity—anything that makes us feel valid.

And of course, some of us are barely holding it together. Fear takes over when the future feels unsafe. It’s a primal instinct to brace for impact. But what if life isn’t actually as unsafe as we’ve convinced ourselves it is?

Fear isn’t the enemy. It’s information. Anxiety is usually just an unhealed part of us asking to be acknowledged, not eliminated.

A Better Way to Do This

I’ve been in career limbo for over a year, so a grain of salt won’t be necessary when taking what I say. The goal isn’t to get rid of fear—it’s to integrate it. Fear is just an unmet need trying to get your attention.

Most of our fears were formed by older versions of us, running on outdated wiring that equated uncertainty with failure. They’re valid but only for the version of you that created them. They don’t predict the future, even if they’re loud about it.

The shift happens when you stop letting fear drive the narrative and start observing it instead.

And then—hear me out—you romanticize the unknown.

What if uncertainty is where the most possibility lives? What if life is meant to stay in motion, and knowing exactly what’s next would actually ruin the experience? What if growth, not stability, is the real constant?

Uncertainty gives us time. Time to figure out who we are without performing. Time to clarify what we actually want—not what we were told to want. Time to build an internal foundation strong enough to hold certainty when it finally shows up.

Because let’s be real: what matters probably isn’t found in corporate America. Life isn’t defined by the milestones uncertainty delays. It’s defined by self-trust, peace, and fulfillment.

The employed envy those with time. Those with time envy stability. People in relationships envy freedom; singles envy intimacy. The grass is never greener—it’s just different.

So maybe limbo isn’t a loss. Maybe it’s the most valuable gain we don’t know how to measure yet.

I want stability. I want income. I’ll get there. But for now, I’ll take clarity, self-respect, and becoming someone I actually enjoy being. I’m done romanticizing a job just because it’s a job.

Uncertainty doesn’t define our worth. It reveals our courage. It asks us to stay grounded while the ground shifts beneath us—and if we let it, it becomes the very thing that launches us forward.