
Hmmm, how do we move forward in the face of uncertainty?
Normally at this time of year, being the sort of person who loathes winter, I would be hunkering down to ride out the long, cold months ahead. Instead, because the weather was uncharacteristically sunny and warm, I went for a hike. It was an easy decision.
The unpredictable weather reflects the state of affairs in the world right now. We are living in strange times is shaping up to be the catch phrase for 2020. We struggle to find our way through the pandemic and adjust to how our lives have been restricted and reshaped.
As difficult as it is to navigate our daily lives, I would argue that the uncertainty of what lies ahead is what is really troubling us. What will the world look like on the other side?
There are those who claim to be able to resolve our uncertainty. These prognosticators are telling us to prepare for the new normal and sketching out their vision of what that will be. But the truth is no one really knows for sure.
Case in point. In my job, managing our association’s trade show exhibits program is my responsibility. That challenge took on a new level of complexity when all live events were shut down. Event Managers have been frantically converting their events to virtual formats and pitching them to me while singing the praises of the new technology they’ve harnessed.
It is rather bewildering to decipher all the new options. I have done my best although it requires reprogramming my change adverse mind. I think I have gotten over that hurdle. But here is my typical conversation with these Event Managers.
“Sponsorship Option 3 sounds interesting. How will it work?”
“Well, we haven’t quite figured that out yet. But it’s going to be great! Sign up and we’ll get you the details as soon as possible.”
Does that sound familiar ? I am betting it does. It is what we are facing on pretty much every front. It is rather like standing at the entrance to several dark tunnels all of which lead somewhere we have never been before. There are carnival barkers in front of each tunnel beckoning us to enter.
Our options: Turn back on the better the devil you know principle. Stand at the entrance frozen in uncertainty. Pick the carnival barker who seems to be the least self-serving. We have to choose one option. But which one? The consequences of choosing wrong are frightening.
My advice? Forget about the tunnels and ignore the barkers. Take the high road that goes above all the tunnels. Yes, the high road is a metaphor and requires you to think for yourself. You still will not know for certain where it will take you. But you will be charting your own path.
It is your future. Get there on your own path and in your own time.
~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.
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Tags: metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · pandemic · the high road · tunnelNo Comments