The phrase "unsettling reality" means a situation or fact that makes someone feel uncomfortable, uneasy, or disturbed. It describes something that may challenge someone's beliefs, expectations, or sense of safety. Full definition
While the NEW SAT will make its appearance in all of Connecticut's high schools in March, the truly unsettling reality is that the Connecticut General Assembly passed and Governor Malloy signed into law a requirement that every high school junior take the NEW SAT next spring and that those students be judged by a test that is being redesigned and aligned to the Common Core, that no one has seen and that will almost certainly test students on content that they haven't even learned. (jonathanpelto.com)
It seems people will believe anything so long as it helps settle an unsettling reality in their minds (If evolution is not true, the only plausible explanation for man's origin is a Creator). (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
Once a person realizes that god and religion is a manipulative tool and removes themselves from the process, they quickly experience an unsettling reality. (religion.blogs.cnn.com)