The title of this editorial is my simple advice to the reader of Proprium Journal of Psychology seeking direction in life; expect nothing, for there is no certainty in life.  What is life but randomness?   The events of any given moment are as difficult to predict as an individual's entire genetic code.  For this reason, it is unwise to stake one's self-esteem and happiness (the result of high self-esteem) on the occurrence of specific events.

Let us take as an example for review the man who slaves day and night in his studio to produce a gold record when all indications tell him he lacks the necessary talent.  Staking one's happiness and self-concept on unpredictable outcomes, like making it big in the music industry, is a sure sign of maladjustment.  Sure, there is always a chance that he will succeed against all odds, and in such a case people will say that I should eat my words, but what is the cost of all this effort?  The well adjusted individual weighs the costs to him and his loved ones against the randomness of events, before choosing the best possible course to pursue.  However, staking one's future on a single outcome that is anything but guaranteed, while requiring the expenditure of large amounts of effort, is far more a demonstration of poor ego development than courage.  Even those who succeed against all odds, when studied retrospectively, are found to have been gifted in some respect, and perhaps even believed in themselves (unconsciously), knowing well that they possessed the resources to make it as far as they did.  Yet, there still was no guarantee that they would make it; one wrong turn or word spoken at the wrong time and their lives would have followed an entirely different path.

I once believed that my life would flow in whatever direction I chose, so long as I applied the appropriate level of effort, as for years this is exactly how events progressed; I would set a goal, work hard to master the required skills, and realize it.  However, more recently, I have learned that even with the best of intentions, sometimes events proceed contrary to expectations.  Take, for example, teaching.  Even when a professor has the best intentions with students, and progresses in the most caring manner, sometimes students perceive events incorrectly.  The result is an exaggeration of events.  What I have learned form my experience as an instructor is that my aims, regardless of how true they are, cannot be used as the sole factor in predicting outcomes.  It is better to take into consideration other factors, unforeseen as they may be to the average person, before selecting a specific course of action.  Further, even when a good number of factors have been taken into account, there are always other factors currently outside of awareness.  There is no end to the stream of factors that come into play in determining the nature of future events.  One would have to possess perceptual abilities far superior to those currently available to mortals in order to perceive all possible outcomes, and forecast the best possible course to follow.  However, I will bet that even that would not guarantee a positive result.  Life is simply too random!

My best advice to the reader, that person in search of the ultimate nature of things and the golden road to bliss, is to avoid excessive disappointment by staying away from immature expectations.  As a Buddhist monk once told Peter Matheson on his journey in search of the elusive snow leopard in Tibet, "expect nothing!"  This is the best advice one will ever hear, for expectation leads to disappointment.  Expect nothing!