Scottish sailors first talked about their “ken”: how far they could see to the horizon out on the water. Then writers began to use it to refer to the range of our vision, of our knowledge or understanding. To what our mind can see, and not just our eyes.

It’s weird to do anything drastic when you can barely make out the thing that’s scaring you. So you’ll manufacture certainty. You’ll convince yourself that the shape you see beyond your ken fits the description of that sea monster everyone in your silo’s been buzzing about. And you’ll fight, flee, or rage accordingly.

You can’t see everything, so you’ll tell yourself you’ve seen enough.

Ask more often: “What am I missing?” This is the doorstop to keep open possibilities from slamming into harmful assumptions.

We’re missing a lot. To keep our minds open when so much pushes them closed we’re going to have to talk with actu...