05/22/2025
What do we do now?
In the midst of this gorgeous ruckus, I have been quiet. Listening for how to respond instead of react. I’ve been feeling myself wanting to find and then offer some crystalline drop of wisdom, and I’ve been coming up short. I’m humbled by the truth of not knowing. I’m in awe of the power of the pause, and yet it is difficult to withstand the desire to know in the face of such profound uncertainty.
The futurist Jamais Cascio has developed a term for what I call the gorgeous ruckus. He calls what we are all currently experiencing, BANI. Brittle, Anxiety producing, Non-linear and Incomprehensible. This term, born out of his desire to capture how it feels to be experiencing this chaotic world, is helpful though sobering. In such chaos the mind twirls, the heart closes, and intention that inspires active hope and creativity loses touch with its North Star.
I am alongside entrepreneurs and leaders as they navigate the shattering of norms and structures that is occurring in our world. As Jamais Cascio points out, we are trying to find options when there are no “good” options, no clear path forward. Collectively, we’ve been given everything we need on this beautiful planet — The task is to learn to thrive and to love each other well. We humans continue to struggle with doing the right thing, even when we know what that is and have the technology to accomplish it. My sense is we are not going find a way forward; we need to forge it. I believe we must all attend to the future and become good ancestors.
One thing is certain— even how we approach change has to change! I tend to look for underlying essentials to find leverage points. Fundamental patterns and archetypes inform my methodology, along with many business and change models. So, over the next few weeks I’m going to suggest that we visit the Elements of Nature — Water, Air, Earth and Fire — to find our most resourceful responses.
Visit the Blue Chair Blog to read more about practices to connect with Water’s resources . . .