“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” E L Doctorow
I really liked this quote, spotted by my friend Lee Ryan recently. I think it applies to a lot more than writing.
I feel as though many of us are driving in fog at the moment. It’s as if the pandemic has highlighted and multiplied the unpredictable nature of the world we’re in. But I wonder if we’re really acknowledging that this is what we’re doing. I get a sense that a lot of organisations are acting as if things are all under control, when they’re not.
Richard Merrick captures this mood quite well:
“All around me, here in the UK, we are easing lockdown and people are venturing out to find the maps we’ve created are not the territory. The short term sugar rush of heading back into the shops does not disguise the deep dysfunction that exists in retail. People heading back to offices, either in search of comfort or at the behest of management, finding it’s not the same. Large companies with agonised balance sheets beseeching government support to shore up what were already unsustainable practice, from air travel to football.”
The thing about driving in fog is it’s a bit scary, but also exciting. We have to keep our wits about us. It might be ok, if we’re willing to acknowledge that’s what we’re doing, rather than clinging to the wheel pretending that things are normal. Some of the best conversations I’ve been in lately have been those where people really acknowledge what they’re feeling, including strong emotions like fear, anger or excitement – rather than sticking to dubious and somewhat disembodied predictions about the future.
