Chaos is running rampant around the world. Different places, different people, different backgrounds. And yet their actions mirror one another. That’s a pretty telling sign that something is changing. Frankly, listening to any of our leaders talking, it’s unbelievable that they don’t (or refuse to) understand what has changed or why. Seriously?
Revolutions start when one person’s idea becomes another’s, and it continues to spread like wildfire. Of course, the same could be said for anarchy. We’re seeing both happening and it’s spreading everywhere with a vengeance. Obviously, because the power struggle between the haves and the have nots has finally reached a breaking point. Here are two different takes trying to explain why this is happening:
Big Think – It Could Happen Here
NY Times – Riots Spotlight London’s Troubled Youth
Isn’t it funny how they’re both saying the same thing? And yet they’re from different walks of life. Is it possible that many of us aren’t really all that lost, and that the institutions that lead us definitely are? That gives hope to those who want change, because that means that people can be moved when pressed for a decision: Will I keep taking this, or will I do something to make change happen?
It’s clearly time to think outside of the box for a solution. I know that this phrase is becoming so cliche, but it holds a basic truth. Learning experiences happen when we do something new and different. It’s what allows us to grow in our breadth of knowledge. It’s what makes us feel life, instead of just see it. And it’s what gives us the ability to create something revolutionary. Because that’s what happens when different hands work together, even for the unknown.
Yes, the sight of these riots is frightening to many of us. Yes, we will try to stop the fighting so that people stay safe. But the question is: Do you want to keep living the way that you are, at the cost of many who aren’t represented in a system that’s unfairly balanced? Our morality is going to be severely challenged as we look at scenarios that have no real right or wrong answers. Both sides have legitimate concerns. And these crises situations will need real solutions that we can all live with together. It looks like the easy times are behind us, and we now have to step up to the plate and swing if we want to stay in the game.
And if you don’t want thing to change, then get used to headlines like this, China’s Boom Gives Rise To Mistresses (from the NY Times), UK Riots: Trouble Erupts In English Cities (BBC), Japan Held Nuclear Data, Leaving Evacuees in Peril (NY Times), How We Picture Homelessness (Big Think), or SEALs Killed In Afghanistan Chopper Crash Lived In Secrecy (LA Times).
There are those who do and choose to fight the good fight, like Ai WeiWei (from artinfodotcom), but more voices are needed if thoughtful change can occur so that we transition to a better life for all. It won’t be a clean or smooth process, but history has shown that while it never is, the end results made the interim pain a little more tolerable.
And here is a brilliant piece by Umair Haque of the Harvard Business Journal: The Great Splintering. He’s a man from the business world who has finally had enough, and is calling a spade a spade. If you doubt it, then follow him on Twitter (@umairh). You can hear it in his words.
Will we ever learn?
