Keep shining bright
Photo credit 938278 © William Mahnken | Dreamstime.com
This blog is a personal view about what it often feels like living and working in the world right now, and more specifically following the news cycle. Plus a few ideas about dealing with it.
If you are anything like me, reading and watching about current affairs around the world feels really troubling. The backdrop of international military action is heartbreaking. Closer to me in Europe, watching politicians sow internal division is painful. On a different topic, much of the recent research about the impacts of climate change - not to mention the recent hurricanes and floods - doesn’t offer much comfort either.
At times my natural reaction is to turn away. It is tempting to stay away, maybe in my echo chamber, and avoid the external troubling context by turning off media (mainstream, social or not) outlets. However, the quote from the statesman Edmund Burke comes to mind:
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing’
In other words, being passive when you see things which are wrong is a problem - don’t simply avoid them, especially if you have agency (as little as it might be) to effect change. As Burke says, often wicked people organise themselves into powerful groups - which are often hard to defeat. However, the same is true for good people in my experience. My heart is full of gratitude for those people and leaders who bring others together in a generous way. Often these groups shine a light on how things can be made better for everyone.
It is sometimes useful to simply acknowledge the challenging context today and talk about it. The acronym VUCA is used to describe this context:
Volatile
Uncertain
Complex
Ambiguous
This fits a variety of applications, including geopolitics and business. More recently it was updated to BANI:
Brittle
Anxious
Non-linear
Incomprehensible
Simple searches for both acronyms brings up a host of suggestions, including for leaders operating in this context.
“The lighthouse stands on the edge of the known and the unknown, casting its beacon of light into the darkness.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
To wrap my mind around issues, images and stories can be helpful. The image of a lighthouse popped up while considering how to best operate in the VUCA / BANI context. There are estimated to be approximately 20,000 lighthouses in the world but no one knows the exact number.
The general purpose of a lighthouse is to guide sailors, so they avoid danger and arrive safely home. A lighthouse does not discriminate, it keeps its light on for everyone. They are fixed with solid foundations, ready to face a variety of weather conditions. They give hope and relief for those at sea and have saved many lives.
“A lighthouse doesn’t discriminate between the ships it saves, it just goes on shining.” – Anne Lamott
With the lighthouse in mind, here are some applications of this image to ourselves and how we each deal with the world today. Accepting some unknowns is a necessity, times will change and often speed up. There will be storms from time to time, business can be difficult and uncertain. However, having solid foundations will help deal with the stormy times. Our personal values and purpose are our foundations. Just like boats on the ocean, each person and organisation will have their own path to arrive at their destination - there are many routes to success. However, working together through strong collaboration makes all our journeys easier, including looking out for those facing difficulty. This is similar to the lighthouse keeper, shining a light for others.
“In the midst of chaos, there is still light.” – Unknown
Keep shining, keep speaking your truth - take care of yourselves and one another.
Thank you for reading. If you wish to get in touch with the blog author Rebecca, please email seawolfsustain@gmail.com. Seawolf Sustainability Consulting offers, workshops, training and advice in the field of sustainable finance.