In Systematic Theology, Vol. Three, Paul Tillich devotes an entire hundred pages to the ambiguities of life—what Karl Jaspers referred to as antinomies. I find myself both surprised and grateful that someone would dedicate such effort to exploring something we often try to avoid. We tend to crave clarity, seeking to make things black and white, yet life persistently refuses to conform.
Before encountering Tillich, I had relegated ambiguity to a small, manageable corner of my mind—something temporary, something to be resolved. I assumed that, eventually, I would sort out whatever contradictions I faced. Now, I see how misguided that was. Ambiguity isn’t something to be solved or eliminated; it’s an inescapable part of being human.
The Courage to Live with Uncertainty
Accepting this reality requires courage. How do we acknowledge life’s inherent uncertainties without being consumed by them? How do we stand strong in the midst of contradiction?
One of the deepest ambiguities for people of faith is the tension between belief and doubt. Faith is always intertwined with uncertainty. It demands a leap—a commitment to something that can never be fully proven or grasped. And that requires courage. After all, we could be wrong. Recognizing this renders arguments over faith somewhat pointless. If faith had no risk, it wouldn’t require faith at all.
Then there’s the existential struggle between being and non-being—existence and nothingness. Studying Tillich, I’ve come to see this struggle more clearly, especially in clients who have faced it in crisis moments. Looking back on my own experience, I didn’t fully grasp how close I had come to slipping further into non-being. How, then, can we help others navigate this confrontation with death, meaninglessness, and guilt in a way that deepens their understanding of existence rather than diminishes it?
The Complexity of Human Experience
Tillich reminds us that life is profoundly complex. No one ever stood in front of me and said, “Shanti, be warned—life is going to be complicated.” The closest I came to hearing it was from Scott Peck, who famously opened The Road Less Traveled with, “Life is difficult,” and from my Russian friends who bluntly told me, “Life is not a walk through the fields.”
Yet nothing prepared me for the sheer force of both creativity and destruction—not just within myself, but all around me. If understanding this duality is essential for growth, then we, as a society, do a poor job of preparing people for it.
Finding Meaning Amidst Uncertainty
Tillich emphasizes the importance of grappling with questions of purpose, value, and significance. When my clients are caught in the web of their own ambiguities, they need something solid to hold onto. This is not an abstract philosophical exercise—it’s a matter of survival.
So, what do we do? Tillich urges us to embrace uncertainty rather than flee from it, to face existential anxiety with courage, and to seek meaning through faith—not as a set of rigid answers, but as a way of being in the world.
댓글