This brilliant opinion piece by Ezra Klein appeared in the March 18 issue of the New York Times. The original title was, “Change makes fools of us all,” but it was changed to, “Can We Slow This All Down, Please?” Both titles appear in the body of the article and will make more sense after you read it.
This is one of the best articles I have read in recent memory. If you’re not a subscriber, you might sign up for a trial subscription, which would be well worth your time.
In any event, I have included some thoughts below, but would love to hear what you have to say. Feel free to join the conversation in the comments section at the bottom of this post. Have a great Sunday.
My thoughts…
"Us all" means each and every one of us. Especially those of us who are unaware of or in denial of disruptive technologies and trends that are rendering current technologies and ways of doing things obsolete. It also includes those of us who are married to old paradigms (i.e., the way things used to be).
If the pandemic (and its subsequent, lingering effects on the economy and financial markets) have taught us anything, it is that even the smartest among us are constantly being blindsided. When our corporate and political leaders say things like, "we were caught off guard" or "we didn't see that coming" you know that there is more (way more) out there that we don't know. As in, we don't know what we don't know.
This is all part of what I call, the "Age of Dissonance." Too much information, too much misinformation. The current rate and magnitude of change are greater than most humans can process. I think this is what Mr. Klein is referring to.