"Uncomfortably numb? Dazed and confused? Is this real life or fantasy? You want to be sedated? Hello, darkness my old friend? Welcome to the jungle. Because volatility seems to be the new normal." - Futurist Jim Carroll
Fun fact - I was a roadie for KISS for a few concerts. Plus, for Canadian fans - for April Wine! I got to carry the bell from Ooowatanite onto a stage in front of about 10,000 fans. Maybe that's where I developed my love for the stage!
Anyways, I had fun!
Back to today's post.
2025 sure has been interesting (is that an understatement?) so far! We are barely into the new year.
So while today I'm having fun with some classic music lyrics, I also see them as more than just artistic statements – they're barometers of our collective response to this unprecedented era of massive instability. Our old world of predictable patterns and reliable forecasts has given way to something far more complex.
So let's take it apart.
What many of us might describe as feeling "uncomfortably numb" or "dazed and confused" reflects a deeper truth about our current reality. We're living in a time where geopolitical certainties are dissolving overnight, where established alliances are being tossed overboard without regard for what they might mean, and where the very foundations of global order are being questioned. Not much makes sense to many of us - and so this isn't just about keeping up with change – it's about maintaining our bearings when the compass itself seems unreliable. We're dazed. Confused. Numb. Uncomfortably so.
With that, the desire to "be sedated" is, for many, an understandable response to a world where every morning's headlines might bring news of another crisis, another shift in the global power balance, or another challenge to long-held assumptions. But seeking escape through inaction is precisely the wrong response - I learned that many years ago. I've seen how this instinct to retreat and wait for "normalcy" to return can be fatal. There is no return to normal – volatility is the new equilibrium. Lots of people took up excessive drinking during the pandemic, and the same response might be happening today. Try to avoid that path - it never works out well.
When people reference "darkness," they're often expressing their discomfort with uncertainty itself. We're in an era where supply chains can be disrupted by a single blocked canal, where regional conflicts can trigger global economic shockwaves, and where erratic leadership is quickly destroying whatever stability we had. It's easy to lose ourselves to the negative, particularly when there is so much of it about. Yet try to remember this - history shows us that within the chaos lies opportunity – not despite the uncertainty, but because of it.
So "welcome to the jungle" indeed! But this jungle isn't about speed; it's about the jungle of unpredictability. I think we all need to develop what I call "volatility intelligence" – enhancing our ability to thrive not just in change, but in chaos. This means trying to ensure we can absorb the shocks, trying to move forward, not back. It's a mindset that adapts - as difficult as it might be - and shifts our strategies so that we can adapt to all these crazy new circumstances.
So - here I go again - think about this ---> the future belongs not to those who can simply move fast, but to those who can navigate complexity and uncertainty.
The people who might thrive are those who can find clarity in the chaos, opportunity in the uncertainty, and purpose in periods of profound disruption.
This isn't just my normal optimism – it's how I'm trying to keep moving forward in this era of crazy global volatility.
Can you?
Futurist Jim Carroll looks back fondly at his short career as a ‘roadie.’