“Negative Capability, that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact reason”: the letter was written by John Keats on a Sunday, late in December of 1817, from Hampstead, and addressed to his brothers George and Tom. The year 1817 is, relatively speaking, quite early in Keats’s career, though only four years before his death; the letter was written before George left for America, before Tom died, before John met Fanny Brawne, before he was sick, and before he had written what are considered his finest poems. One of the things you have to remember about Keats is that his development as a poet was telescoped into an intensely short period of time in which he passed through as many stages as another poet may experience in a life three times as long.

There is no certainty, many mysteries, abundant doubt.

Because this is the persistent character of our context we are compelled to be poetic: to be makers, choosers, creators, and risk-takers.

We may be poor poets.  We may allow ourselves to be distracted from our making.  In our making we may be vulgar, impatient, angry or cautious, predictable, and boring.

But we can choose to be open, exploring, and ready to be transformed.  The English-speaking world would be less-lively if Keats had chosen to compress into his 26 years less living.

"Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced."