Thanks for all the comments and feedback on “How to Write a Really Bad Proposal”. Three people, from 3 different firms, wrote suggesting it was unfair I was specifically picking on their firm …. What can I say ?… must have hit close to home…
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I was intrigued by a new word this week: solastalgia.
it’s that uneasy feeling that our day to day world is is changing fundamentally…. without our consent or involvement. What we assumed as the norms of our daily lives aren’t quite what they used to be.
And yet we also sense this is not the “New Normal” …..we know that before we get used to this, another compounding change will come … and, in fact, is already underway somewhere….. it’s more than feeling of lost control…. its coping with ongoing change…
Just when we had sensed that maybe the Covid world thrust upon us 2 years ago was finally subsiding, the war in Ukraine has sent another round shock waves that we are struggling to comprehend …. Realizing it will likely affect us in ways we can not predict…
We have come to realize that every major event (and some not so major events) creates secondary, tertiary and even quaternary implications that appear completely unrelated. Covid created a toilet paper shortage and now has caused delivery for a new sofa or refrigerator to extend out 9 months?
The Ukraine headlines are unsettling and scary –
the conflict portends a very unsettling showdown over Taiwan… (read the novel 2034 for a perspective…)
Global supply chains are getting another shock with shortages of commodities – which drive other issues….
the reduction of Russia’s natural gas supply to global markets is driving fertilizer price spikes and shortages … which will likely drive food prices higher and create shortages…
Supplies of unique and critical minerals will be disrupted – impacting everything electronic – which is every dimension of our lives. (35% of the cost of a car today is electronics and software)
Shortages of sunflower oil, the bulk of which is produced in Russia and Ukraine could impact production of potato chips and cosmetics !
Unprecedented economic sanctions might drive the world away from the dollar as the basis for global trade – and further accelerate adoption of cryptocurrencies …
At the same time we have seen an dramatic outpouring of aid and support for Ukraine – in new ways – AirBnB unexpectedly and creatively is providing aid to Ukrainians at home and for evacuees. Faster than any global relief effort could get underway….
This conflict will also accelerate the transition to renewable energy – national security will be added as more urgent driver for sustainability on top of the growing financial and regulatory pressures.
We are all reading headlines of a new world order and the reversal of global economic expansion….. but what does that mean to us and our families and our clients ?
So how do we cope with solasalgia? How do we manage own anxiety and help our friends, family and clients adapt to this ever changing world?…. a few thoughts …..
Ostrich approach – Ignoring everything and pretending nothing is happening might be comforting temporarily– but stepping back a bit from the overdosing on news and media is probably not a bad idea……
Historical perspective – I just finished a biography of John Adams and an account of the sinking of The Lusitania. They helped me remember the world has been through major shocks and recovered …. just a look at the last 60 years gives some perspective – the Cuban Missile crisis, political assassinations, civil rights movement, Vietnam war, Watergate, two oil shocks, AIDs, the internet, 9/11, the Iraq wars, the financial crisis, Afghanistan… our world has responded to many crises and adapted…..
The Positive view– in addition to reflecting on the response to crises, a short reflection on the positive is helpful. The book Factfulness by Hans Rosling is a terrific reminder of that in many ways (not all) life across the world is better today than in the past. Education, poverty, disease, social justice have all dramatically improved across the world over the last 60 years…. He also provides a perspective of why we tend to dwell, focus on and exaggerate negative news….
Feeding the brain – somehow learning new things about our world and how it works seems to give the mind fuel to think and adapt… new insights on technology, nature, people, history and culture expands our minds to new possibilities… Especially if we consciously seek out perspectives different than our own.. I am a big fan of the Radiolab podcasts and have recently found some SH*T You Don't Learn in School podcasts to be informative…. And, of course, The Economist – especially the Culture and Science and Technology sessions.
The Mental Detox – more on this next week…..
What do you do to help cope, adapt and thrive in these constant waves of change ??
Just a few thoughts….
Walt
"Feeding the Brain" I just read the following article which provided me some personal insight, and very much aligns with this point. Great weekend read. Loving FT as much as ever Walt!
https://bigthink.com/the-well/awe-animals-humanity/