INDEFINITE UNCERTAINTY

May 30 , 2022 /

INDEFINITE UNCERTAINTY

“No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man’s death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Dunne, 1624

We have been through yet another week of carnage and mayhem. One persistent question is: “How do we adjust to an ever-changing situation where the ‘new normal’ is indefinite uncertainty?”

From my perspective, there is nothing unusual with an “ever-changing situation” nor with “indefinite uncertainty.”  They are both part of what we face in life all the time, even under the best of circumstances.  Admittedly, we are not in the best of circumstances currently given the  recent massacres of innocent people including children, the crises of Covid 19, the climate, and corrupt leadership.  So, that ups the stakes for those who prefer constant and predictable.

Know this.  Change is inevitable.  And, there are two kinds. Planned and unplanned.  I have been harping on this for years and see no reason to stop now. When planned change can be anticipated there are specific steps to ensure that the most effective and successful change is implemented. If we had responsible and accountable leaders who had a plan to deal with Covid 19 we would not have reached one million deaths.  Had we started taking steps to stem the tide of the climate crisis earlier we might not be trying desperately to find solutions to save the planet. Had we enacted stronger gun control laws, we could have been spared some of the recent, tragic loss of innocent lives.  When change that is precipitated by external factors is not anticipated, an intelligent response needs support and guidance in order to embrace change in the best possible, most creative ways.  We are a fractured, divided nation, suffering from wounds, many of which are self-inflicted.

Crisis management requires high level skills to get things under control and restore effective leadership. One prerequisite is intelligence, being smart about assessing the situation, analyzing the evidence that is reliable and developing solutions while moving forward. Standing still is not an option unless you don’t care.  Effective leadership is good at solving problems and if leaders are very good they can anticipate what’s ahead in order to prevent things from getting worse.  That has not happened with the current cast of characters.  They have only made things worse. Thus, one change is to continue removing leaders who have failed miserably.

So the question remains, “How do we adjust…..?”  We have to change our tactics and strategies in order to deal with the changes that have been thrown in our path.  “Keep calm and carry on” does not offer much comfort.  There may be sufficient gathering forces at work to affect a much needed change in leadership. We have a choice to be involved or to opt out and let others carry the load of responsibility.  We have a choice to make our voice heard or to keep silent.  Silence condones the status quo.  Those who are comfortable with how things are will resist change, count on it.

Rather than adjust to the changes and uncertainty, why not change what needs to be changed in order to make things better?  Uncertainty is defined by not knowing and once you accept not knowing and doing your best anyway to make things better, you have adjusted.  Things will not get better by themselves except perhaps in the natural world if we would leave it alone to regenerate and quit interfering where we make things worse rather than better.

Change is coming and it will go this way or that way.  We have an opportunity immediately in front of us to participate in an active, vocal, positive way to help make life better for all people.  This is a good time to join with others working to affect the kinds of changes that will make life safer and healthier.  There are differences between those who fear they may lose power and control and those who serve the will of the people and not their own self-interests.

Whereof what’s past is prologue; what to come, in yours and my discharge.” (The Tempest, Act II Scene 1) The past is written, but the future is ours to wield, subject to the choices we make.

 

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