Hey there, fellow humans! So, have you ever noticed how we love to create clear and straightforward narratives to make sense of our crazy chaotic world? Yeah, us too. But here’s the thing: that’s not exactly how things work. Our world is full of ambiguity and contradiction, and we need to deal with that. Trust us, it’s not always easy, but it’s essential if we want to understand the complex times we’re living in. And let’s be real, these times are absolutely bonkers.
Now, stick with us here, because we’re about to get a bit technical. Anthropologists have this fancy-sounding term for what we’re going through at the moment: “liminality”. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it before, just think of it as feeling majorly disoriented during a rite of passage. Oh, and side note – we’re not talking about your main character’s journey in a YA novel. We’re talking about real life. You know, like that weird in-between phase when an adolescent is no longer a kid but not quite an adult yet? Yeah, it’s a wild ride for sure.
Okay, so there’s no denying that we’re all going through some major changes right now. It’s like we’re stuck in some sort of “interregnum”, as that Italian political theorist Antonio Gramsci put it. We’re moving from an old world that’s on its way out to a new one that hasn’t quite fully arrived yet. And let’s be real, that kind of transition can be hella scary. But, as the 19th-century historian Jacob Burckhardt noted, these are also the times when we get to clear out all the old garbage and make space for fresh ideas.
Once we stop freaking out about all this uncertainty and accept that this whole “progress and catastrophe” thing is a never-ending cycle, we can start to see some pretty exciting possibilities for our future. Seriously, let’s toss out that whole “history is a straight line” idea because that’s just nonsense. Instead, let’s view our history as a series of calm moments marred by intense upheavals. Those crises might seem like they’re destroying everything in sight, but they’re really the driving force of history. We wouldn’t have gotten to where we are today without those earth-shattering moments.
Yes, it’s totally possible that all this chaos could lead to some world-altering catastrophe. But – hear us out – maybe it could also lead to some epic changes that will blow our minds. And honestly, we’re already seeing evidence of that all around us. This pandemic has been utterly devastating, but it’s also given us a shot at curing cancer. And that major war in Europe? Yeah, it’s causing some serious environmental problems, but it’s also pushing us to switch to renewable energy sources at an accelerated pace. So, hey, maybe we don’t have to totally freak out about the future. It might just turn out to be unexpectedly awesome.
Serious News: nytimes
