Here’s a great photo of Niagara Falls. Doesn’t it make you feel better? Ok – I tried. There were no rainbows today. Instead, a perfect storm to sell a lot of martinis to the weary. The financial district and Washington are in upheaval not to mention our country’s economic whirlwind which was amplified today by the collapse of the 700 billion dollar bailout package. All told, this amounts to a darn big economic tornado tearing into the infrastructure of our lives throwing our work life disposition into the toilet.
But alas, there’s room for optimism. There’s a rainbow emerging somewhere in all this congressional chaos. Remember, just as chaos destroys, it inevitably leads to creation and evolution of a higher order or nature. Chaos was the Greek primordial bliss from which creation came, and the Sun God Ra, rose from the waters of chaos.
Here’s what visionary and scientist Margaret Wheatley said about Chaos Theory in her book, Leadership and the New Science:
“It is chaos’ great destructive energy that dissolves the past and gives us the gift of a new future. It releases us from the imprisoning patterns of the past by offering us its wild ride into newness. Only chaos creates the abyss in which we can recreate ourselves.”
Back in April, Billionaire George Soros said the global credit crisis will get worse before it gets better. Looks like he was right. Here’s the silver lining; when chaos strikes that means there’s an opportunity for a dramatic shift. It’s from chaos that unprecedented change can spring forth. That’s not to invalidate the pain we’re experiencing due to the mortgage meltdown, poor transparency and lousy oversight. But this time of market meltdown is a chance to get real serious about a lot of things.
First, “Houston – we have a problem”. Bipartisan bickering is going to have to go the wayside for real or the job losses we’re seeing in the financial sector will eventually spread through congress. Voters will not forget that history was made today with the Dow suffering the biggest single-day fall of 777 points. (beating the 684 point drop the first day of trading after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001) So saving face is an issue.
Second, job losses in a number of sectors are mounting before our eyes. The psychological trickle down effect for those who have lost their jobs and those left behind in the office, can only be compared again to the state of our nation after 9/11. It’s a sad time. You probably remember the corporate upheaval and dot-com busts that took the wind out of Silicon Valley’s sails.
But the chaotic events of the last few weeks have set the stage for deep change. So says history. After the events of 9/11 and the flood of corporate malfeasance here’s what happened:
Sarbanes-Oxley: Renewed mandates and requirements on financial reporting.
Security: Tighter airline security.
Diversity: A new awareness of the need for cultural diversity training programs in the workplace.
Faith: A surge of workplace interest – albeit brief – to better understand people of different faiths.
The degree to which a conscious shift takes place in our uncertain economy rides on our appetite for growth, despite rocky waters, and the metric of resilience to ride out the storm. Have we hit a collective chaotic bottom? I sure hope so, cause I’m ready for the rainbow.
