Uncertainty is uncomfortable and overwhelming. It can be isolating and anxiety inducing, and it can make questions about our lives even weightier. But uncertainty also lays the groundwork for transformation. It prompts us to consider the norms we take for granted and invites deeper, more critical conversations about the world.
We shouldn't mistake uncertainty for powerlessness. Things may be unclear, but that doesn’t mean they are binary. When we reduce the world to black-and-white thinking, to “certainty,” we risk falling into apathetic attitudes, and it’s crucial that we do our best to resist this mindset. To do so, we must embrace uncertainty as a mark of intellectual strength rather than thoughtless weakness. We should value and respect those who have the courage to admit when they don’t have all the answers.
In Zeitgeist 7.0, we asked Middlebury students to reflect on their opinions that have changed in the past 12 months. The responses were wide-ranging — touching on politics, fashion, Elon Musk and artificial intelligence. Even members of our Editorial Board offered a diverse set of reflections. Some seniors felt like they had reconsidered their post-graduation plans, developing a more open perspective as to what their next step could look like. Others expressed a shaken sense of stability — not only at Middlebury, but within the broader U.S. and the world. Others didn’t feel compelled to answer the question at all, instead emphasizing a deeper connection to what they already believed in.
Rather than a time of radical ideological shifts, this year has felt like a moment of quiet reflection. Many of us did not reverse course entirely or upend our foundational beliefs. Instead, we became more rooted in them. Faced with instability on campus and beyond, we’ve seen how students have responded not by flipping their opinions, but by clinging more tightly to the values that feel familiar and secure.
For many, this was the first year that Middlebury felt truly vulnerable to external forces. From confronting a budget deficit with disruptive cuts to witnessing student encampments and national political jabs at higher education, we are seeing firsthand that Middlebury is not immune to forces of the outside world. It has been jarring to see other similar college communities be punished for their actions while knowing that Middlebury could be next. While we may have felt secluded in the past, this year has shown us just how fragile the Middlebury bubble truly is.
In an age of political polarization and cultural division, changing one’s mind — even at Middlebury, where the liberal arts environment should be a prime location to have open dialogue — can feel risky. Yet as many students reported in Zeitgeist this year, campus can feel like an echo chamber of ideas and restricted viewpoints that lack any incentive to deeply challenge our own perceptions. In a small, ideologically homogeneous setting, dissent can be difficult and uncomfortable.
And we are worn out. Today’s world, which has come to be the barrage of headlines and crises, demands constant engagement and reaction, leading to a collective feeling of “opinion fatigue.” It’s not that Middlebury students don’t care about what is happening around the country. It’s that constantly forming opinions on every issue, at every moment, is mentally and emotionally draining. It creates a fear of saying the wrong thing or not being informed enough to speak up. Sometimes, all we want is to think about what outfit to wear, where to eat lunch or which classes to register for. When the big picture feels increasingly unstable, we are forced to give up some of our casual conversations. The burden of attentiveness can be exhausting.
But uncertainty can be spun into productivity. It creates space for reflection and growth, and for reaffirmation of our collective values. It gives us a chance to slow down, ask better questions and reconnect with what truly matters. Zeitgeist 7.0 invites us to embrace this discomfort — to reflect not just on what we believe, but how those beliefs shift with the spirit of our times. Our perspectives may not have changed drastically, but they’ve been tested, deepened and refined.
If we can meet uncertainty with curiosity rather than with fear, we can learn to reconcile with it. In this space, we can have open dialogue and find ways to grow that we otherwise would not have considered. In the midst of a chaotic world, there is opportunity — if we are willing to look for it.
