What Did Our Ancestors Do When Life Became Uncertain?
We are living in a time of uncertainty.
The world is changing rapidly. Technology continues to evolve. Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work, communicate, and access information. News travels instantly, opinions compete for our attention, and we are exposed to more information in a single day than previous generations could have imagined.
When uncertainty arises, our modern instinct is often to seek more information.
We scroll.
We search.
We consume.
We look for answers outside of ourselves, hoping that one more article, one more opinion, or one more prediction will provide the certainty we are looking for.
It makes me wonder:
What did our ancestors do when life became uncertain?
Long before smartphones, social media, and twenty-four-hour news cycles, our ancestors also faced uncertainty. They experienced illness, conflict, natural disasters, environmental changes, loss, and periods of tremendous social upheaval. In many parts of the world, including the Philippines, these realities continue today.
What was different was not the absence of uncertainty.
It was the way people learned to meet it.
Without instant access to endless information, our ancestors cultivated a different relationship with uncertainty. Rather than constantly seeking answers, they developed practices that helped them remain connected to themselves, their communities, and the world around them.
Many Indigenous cultures understood something that modern society often forgets:
Wisdom is not the same as information.
When uncertainty arose, they sought understanding rather than endless answers. They observed the rhythms of nature, listened deeply, and paid attention to the patterns unfolding around them. The changing seasons, the land, the animals, and the natural world all became teachers.
Community also played an essential role. Elders carried wisdom shaped by experience. Stories preserved the lessons of previous generations. Reflection allowed people to learn not only from their own lives but from the lives of those who came before them.
Many traditions also recognized the importance of stillness.
Rather than reacting immediately to every fear, thought, or possibility, there was often space for observation, contemplation, prayer, ceremony, and connection.
These practices did not eliminate uncertainty.
They helped people develop the wisdom to navigate it.
Today, we have unprecedented access to information, yet many of us feel increasingly disconnected from ourselves. Knowing more does not always help us know ourselves more deeply or recognize what is true, meaningful, or aligned for us.
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts our ancestors can offer us is not a specific answer, but a different way of relating to uncertainty.
A way that values observation over reaction.
Reflection over impulsivity.
Wisdom over information.
Connection over isolation.
As we navigate an increasingly complex world, there may be something worth remembering.
Wisdom may not be something we have lost. It may simply be something waiting to be remembered.
Our ancestors survived uncertain times not because they knew everything.
They survived because they learned to remain connected to themselves, to one another, and to the wisdom available to them.
That wisdom still has something to teach us today.
© 2026 • Charmaine Cheryle | The Modern Babaylan
Michael Rivera on Unsplash