By Jennie Marlow
How we deal with life can look a lot like that old Monty Python sketch called, “The Fish Slapping Dance.” We really do think we are so clever as we dance around our fears and issues, playing at confronting them, prancing to-and-fro, kidding ourselves into thinking we are really doing something—really getting somewhere—when all of a sudden, Life pulls out a big uncertainty and gives us a good wallop.
There is pain here, and we really hate feeling it when Life knocks us into the drink, and we come up spewing and gasping for air. Yes, we need to have a sense of humor about it! But more than that, we really do need to recognize that in getting through Life’s unpleasant surprises—when our assumptions about the future are challenged—there is so much to be gained by what we learn during the crisis.
Rahm Emmanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, said something pretty interesting back in November of 2008. He said we should never let a crisis go to waste. He said that during a crisis, we are often more willing to do things we would never consider when things are going great.
This is a bit of a two-edged sword, I admit. Frightened people are usually the most likely to do something reactive and stupid. On the other hand, crises can make the way for enormous changes, necessary ones that can happily be put off during times of plenty. The so-called “good times” can make us complacent, lax, and fully medicated.
Like in the Fish Slapping Dance, we have the luxury of prancing around big problems, but it’s often not until they knock us silly that we are willing to admit something more drastic, deep, and far-reaching is required here. So, what’s your dance? What are you avoiding? What are you dancing around, thinking you’re really accomplishing something? You need look no further than your most recent confrontation with what you fear.
Contributed by Jennie Marlow
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