Right now, the world feels like it has shifted a bit on its axis. It is as if someone flicked the globe with their fingers bouncing us back and forth. Soon the world will settle on a new axis point. As a result, our new normal will emerge and everything we know to be true today is open to a new interpretation.
A key trait of humanity is our ability to adapt to changes in our environment. The greatest hurdle we will face is disruption in our cultural and technological practices. For instance, we have quickly moved to remote working as a mitigation strategy. Technological improvements will emerge allowing us to have more authentic and comfortable virtual connections.
To accelerate our adoption of “newness,” as we move into a new normal, the voices and signals that we have heard up until today need to be altered. The things we did yesterday that lead us to success already won’t hold the same values. Two months ago, a handshake helped us make connections; but already appears to be in the past as new social norms develop.
Even the people that have strong skill sets for dealing with ambiguity are struggling today to find a sense of normalcy for themselves and their loved ones. So, while we are wobbling and waiting for the globe to settle on its new axis, we need our futurist community to help others cope.
Futurists are trained to thrive in uncertain times. They open their minds to all sorts of opportunities. They are empowered by their ability to discover, explore, map, and create. These skills are needed to help others develop future scenarios, identify markers, and structure the changes in how the world operates. In other words, it enables people to navigate multiple possibilities.
We should continue doing the things that make us real, relatable, and simply human. Parents are working from home with cameos of their children; TV News anchors are delivering the news from their homes; and music artists are playing non-edited songs to lift us up. These are transparent glimpses into our daily lives that we are all experiencing in a different way today.
A positive future outcome from this current shift could be genuine, open, and vulnerable connection that withstands the constraints of “distance.” Futurists, we must do everything we can to help others put structure around all the changes that we are already dealing with today. Let us show the world that humanity will prevail.
The Future Speaks platform offers stimulating thought leadership to the TFS community. The program is a unique apprenticeship that pairs TFS alumni with diverse speaking and writing opportunities. Email us for more information.
