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Writer's pictureTidy Content

On embracing and steering



Things are moving fast. Faster than ever.


What the future holds feels unpredictable.


And the constant stream of new developments becomes intimidating and overwhelming.


How will it all impact the way we cooperate, engage and interact with one another? How we think, organise, and work. Our lives and livelihoods.


Change is uncertain.


We’re creatures of comfort, stability and predictability. The urge to resist and react against change is nothing but normal.


But resistance may indeed be futile. And it often leads to escalation and conflict.


There may be a lesson in the martial art known as ‘the art of peace’, Aikido.


The philosophy of Aikido is about resolving conflict without violence — dissolving aggression by redirecting it.


The emphasis is on blending and embracing the opponent’s momentum to redirect their energy rather than opposing it with brute force.


Only by letting go of fear and resistance can we learn to harness technology and steer its direction towards a future that’s aligned with our goals and values.


Allowing us to completely immerse ourselves in the things that make us human.


Perhaps, like some would read the Greek myth of Phaethon and the chariot of the sun, we can either sit at the front and take the lead, or be dragged by the horses.


Will you oppose force with force, or embrace and steer the current of the time ahead?


Will you be dragged by history or be at the helm of change?


Note. This text was written with support of ChatGPT. I used it as a research assistant to remind me about Aikido and the myth of the chariot of the sun, as they were ideas in my head that I could not put my finger on.



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