Tuesday, September 1, 2020

A Black Swan Event


A black swan event is something that comes along rarely during a lifetime and changes things permanently, never going back to the way it was. There are at least two ways people respond to a black swan event: one way is to cling to the hope that things will be the way they used to be and get back to "normal". 

The other response is from those who realistically acknowledge the change for what it is and proceed in life knowing things will quite probably never again be the way they once were. They actually embrace the change and find new ways of pivoting their lives, businesses and relations in response to the change.

In the wisdom of modern psychology there is a school of thought that is strongly related to our response to things that happen to us either as individuals or collectively.  Acceptance and Commitment Therapy teaches us, using mindfulness, that we can accept events or thoughts for their face value, acknowledge their reality and proceed according to our values. By doing so we progress and embrace negativity in spite of our feelings and counter them with positive actions and results.

During this covid19 event are we holding out for a vaccine? Are we looking forward to the virus being eliminated as a threat? Are we expecting things to return to "normal" again or are we coming to terms with the possibility that even if things get back to normal it could be longer than we expect; maybe years, and responding accordingly? Maybe things will never be the way they were and resilient people will fair better rather than only waiting for better times.

   

 

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