How did we get here?
It’s a common question these days.
Whether the question comes from a place of anguish, exasperation or curiosity, it’s omnipresent.
There’s good reason for us to delve into this root cause analysis. The past is already written. It’s printed in the pages of books or encoded in our memory banks.
Our recollections of what came before are often vivid. And our interpretation of those events can draw a line to the present.
Never mind that our accounts of the past can be skewed by bias. That history is all too often written by the victors. That memories can fade over time, or enter our cognition already tarnished by an abundance of stress or a lack of perspective.
The fundamental point remains the same.
We draw upon what’s known to help figure out what’s uncertain. We take the solid inscriptions of our past to reconcile the shaky ground of our present.
This method has served us well for generations. After all, the old adage goes, Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.
Yet, the habit of rewinding to move ahead is less relevant than ever today.
Why? We have more power over our story trajectory these days. No longer are we akin to cattle, being paraded down the well-worn trails our ancestors have left.
Today, we are not bounded by limits in technology, communication and innovation. We are largely free to forge a new path that can upend the way society works.
This provides great opportunity. But also, a great challenge.
For while these changes are of our volition, the side effects can make us queasy.
There is no recipe book we can turn to when the ground gets shaky. No prescription to ease the volatility.
The straight-line relationship we’ve inferred between past and present has shifted into an accelerating curve. We’re writing the book in real-time now.
So what recourse do we have? How can we keep our narrative from taking an unintended turn?
It starts by asking a new question.
Where do we go from here?
Starting with this question moves us from reaction to action. It can allow us to move forward with intention, unencumbered by the weight of the past.
It can help us find meaning, even in the face of present-day unease. It can help us write our story on our own terms.
And the best part? This method can work for just about everyone.
No matter which factors have led us to this point, there is a beneficial way forward.
Yes, for some of us, those past actions themselves lead to forward-facing consequences. If we’ve committed a crime, we must do the time. We cede control of our narrative to pay our debt to society.
But this is an edge case. A grave one, but an edge case nonetheless.
For the most part, we have the power to fast forward. To consider what comes next in order to right our wrongs, build off our achievements and iterate toward a brighter future.
We seldom use this power. And when we do, it’s all too often secondary to our root cause analysis.
It’s time to change that.
Even in an ambiguous world, the direction we head is still largely in our control.
But it starts by asking the right questions.
Let’s do so.