A quick note as we navigate the uncertainty and chaos this year will undoubtedly bring.

Just because you believe it doesn't make it fact.

Humans are meaning-making machines. Our brains crave the completion of stories—the heroes, the villains, the right, the wrong. Our minds seek patterns, both inner and outer. This tendency is amplified in times of uncertainty.

But did you know that your eyes see only a fraction of your surroundings? The rest—80-90% of your visual experience—is filled in by your brain, almost like magic. The same thing happens with uncertain events in life. At these moments, your brain unconsciously fills in the gaps in an event—but with personal bias, history, and perception, not facts.

This is one reason conspiracy theories thrive in times of uncertainty. The unknown is uncomfortable, our brains grasp for answers—even incomplete or misleading ones.

What can you do?

~Recognize this tendency in yourself.

~ Resist the urge to complete the story prematurely or elevate mis or disinformation.

~Pause. Wait for more data, real evidence, and verified facts from actual experts.

The challenges we face are undeniably complex, and solving them will require creativity, collaboration, and effort. But before we can even begin to address these issues, we must first agree on what the problem actually is. This means laying all the facts on the table, distinguishing what is actually real, and being willing to sit with the complexity of both the problem and the solution.