At the risk of contributing yet another acronym to our already burdened lexicon, I’m hard pressed to ignore VUCA. Coined by the U.S. Army War College in 1987, VUCA refers to Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity.
Can there be any doubt that we are living in VUCA times? Whether one looks domestically — unprecedented ICE deployments, mass protests across the country, at least one death at the hands of an ICE agent, resignations of 6 federal prosecutors and multiple lawsuits filed against DOJ and DHS; murders of Minnesota legislators, mass shooting in a Minnesota Catholic School killing two school children, injuring 26 children and 4 other persons — or internationally — U.S. seizure of 6 sanctioned Venezuelan tankers and ousting the Venezuelan President (without Congressional approval) to “refine and control oil production,” coupled with the Venezuelan Opposition leader’s subsequent presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize to the U.S. President; repeated and intensifying U.S. threats to annex Greenland, the controversial role of the U.S. in Ukraine, related threats to NATO and European countries; U.S. negotiated peace plan in Gaza after bloodbaths in both Israel and Gaza – volatility and uncertainty with layers of complexity and ambiguity are everywhere.
MLK also lived in a VUCA era. He faced different (yet eerily similar) volatilities, uncertainties, complexities and ambiguities. Dare we ask, what would Martin do (WWMD)? Would he join mass protests, tweet, blog, give sermons, blow whistles and/or have his own YouTube channel? Would he write another letter from jail or walk for peace with the Dhammacetiya Buddhists? Might he even come up with his own acronym?
Here’s one MLK might approve: WHOA: Wisdom, Harmlessness, Opportunity and Action. He might remind us that because we are hopelessly entangled and flawed human beings (just like him), we need to resist our human tendency to separate ourselves to feel superior to each other. He was all about resistance, but not just any kind. He consistently urged us to be motivated not by our concerns alone (or even those of our group), but also by the concerns of our enemies. This radically inclusive motivation is actually practical given our entanglement with each other.
While alive, MLK urged us to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” – not just wise or harmless, but wise and harmless. Not to give up our intention to change unjust laws or policies or procedures, and not to give in to reckless or harmful emotions that contaminate our actions, injuring both ourselves and others. He uncompromisingly suggested that we each hold this tension within ourselves. He called it having a tough mind and a tender heart. Once we can hold this tension, we can then find (or create) opportunities to act from that place. The opportunities and actions possible from there vary widely and wildly.
Don’t take the bait: WHOA.
Feel your anger and meet it with compassion: WHOA.
Stand under (understand) VUCA in awe of it all: WHOA.
Stay curious and engaged during VUCA: WHOA.
Contempt is costly: WHOA.
Friendliness is free: WHOA.
In VUCA situations, WHOA.
I suppose that this is meant well but I don’t find it helpful. I don’t agree that our current situation is characterized mainly by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. although those features always characterize human society. We are facing something much more menacing but also quite a lot less ambiguous than implied by this post, namely the attempt by a small group of deranged individuals to tear our country apart and impose a fascist dictatorship. That in fact has become clearer, not more confusing, in recent weeks. With regard to the proposed “solution” , Wisdom, Harmlessness, Opportunity and Action doesn’t invoke much useful insight. Action for what?
What Opportunity? Harmlessness may suggest nonviolence but it doesn’t suggest resistance as the nonviolence advocated by King did. And of whose wisdom should one partake? I will not propose another acronym. I think that acronyms tend to suppress thinking.
This is excellent! WHOA is a great acronym for these days.