Three turbulences

Viscosity is not a topic that generally preoccupies my thinking.  But I do remember enjoying a class on Fluid Mechanics ages ago.  Especially, observing the moment when a gently flowing fluid, breaks into a wild dance of countermanding eddies.  The moment when the smooth "laminar" flow becomes chaotic "turbulent" flow in a fluid is determined by engineers with the help of the so called Reynold's Number.

As I cast about, it seems to me that the laminar flow of society we experienced in the 1990s, has yielded to not one, but three kinds of turbulences, as it were.  The question is, can we find a foothold for stability through it all?

Technological Turbulence

While the sustained increase in processing speed and computing power over the last few decades has yielded spectacular technologies, it is only very recently that we are seeing the first signs of its possibilities.  The driver-less car is an example.  Amazon's Alexa is another.  Indeed, as we keep doubling the processing power of what is already impressive,  and we move into the second half of the chessboard, it is tough to fathom the kinds of technology solutions and risks we face.

Whether it is block-chain technology in financial services, tele-medicine in Healthcare, online learning in Education, Artificial Intelligence in creating algorithms that direct our choices, it is now quite clear that advances in technology are getting ready to cause quite some turbulence and disruptions in our lives.

So if we have an avocation, or a career that has stood us in good stead and that is primed for disruption, what is one to do?  Indeed, throughout the past two centuries we have faced that.  But the speed and scale of these changes are definitively something we have not seen.

Political Turbulence

I am quite comfortably a centrist.  I might even assert that I hang on to the center for dear life!

When I observe political developments around the world there is change on the left, change on the right, change above and change below.

Perhaps even the categories of left and right are being erased.  Left and right were laminar layers nicely separated from each other in a calmly flowing fluid.  For whatever reason, the Reynold's Number has been reached and political eddies are erasing those distinctions.

Brexit in the UK, Macron in France, MBS in Saudi Arabia, Trump in the US, protests in Iran are currently in the news pointing to this political turbulence.

Social Turbulence

If one is a business traveler, one quickly learns to adapt to cultures, customs and norms around the world.  Bend when you exchange business cards, etc.  But these cultural norms are changing even within societies, including one's own.

When our son returns home from his high school and we chat at the dinner table, I hear about topics such as gender fluidity and social spaces.  And these topics are integral to his conversation and not thought of as emerging or distinct topics. 

How do communities and social norms, governments and laws, companies and policies tune into and adapt to these changes?

Seeking a foothold

As we set forth in our daily lives in our various roles as family members, workers, neighbors and citizens, how do we navigate this turbulence?  How do we find a foothold, such that we are not swept away by one of the eddies?

I surely don't claim to have even the beginning to an answer, let alone an answer in terms of how to navigate these choppy waters.  But perhaps we can adopt an attitude, that might help us do so?

The elements of such an attitude might be the following:

North Star:  Identifying what our own personal north star is.  Perhaps it is having a positive impact on society in one's own small way.  Perhaps it is innovating a new solution.  Or perhaps it is raising a good family.  Knowing what one's north star is can potentially clarify that a disorientation due to a temporary eddy is just that; and one can try and right oneself in the right direction.

Embrace change:  I am not a sailor myself.  But have been out sailing with friends.  And it is great to watch them take advantage of the wind direction and zig zag their way to their destination.  That is, the sailor does not mind whether the wind is blowing from left to right or vice versa, rather they adjust the sail to head in the general direction they want to go.  Thus, if we could adjust our metaphorical sail and head in the general direction of where we want to go, that might be a way to deal with change.

We are not alone:   I remember reading about an interesting experiment with ants a while ago.  Drop an ant into a box of sand and it wanders around aimlessly.  As one adds one ant at a time, suddenly, the ants group up and start building anthills.  And more ants added, increases the complexity of the structure they build.   We are all feeling these three turbulences and more.  We might be better off communicating, connecting and engaging in a candid, constructive and courageous way with each other without fear of retribution at ever little tentative step we take to find our foothold.

Tally Ho!

I have been quite comfortable in my "centrist perch" for a nice long time.  But the three turbulences are banging on that perch.  I don't think I will have a choice.  The turbulent waters of technology, politics and social change are creating eddies all around us. Let us navigate them well.

I just hope, we don't literally use my examples above and go out sailing in the night, with some ants in tow looking into the night sky for said North Star!