From the Editor
Chaos And Order
Luis Ayala
It is easy to feel -or think- that the world around us is in chaos every time unexpected things happen to us. The term chaos is, after all, used to describe situations with complete disorder or confusion. Merriam-Webster dictionary officially defines it as:
- a state of things in which chance is supreme,
- or the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system
It is in our nature to build systems based on order and predictability, since such environments are more conducive to our survival. Therefore, anything that challenges that very stability can be seen or felt as a threat to our existence.
Last month I wrote about The Spirit Of Survival and how “attack” and “defense” strategies are always evolving, always going into chaos, but the survivors are also always emerging from the chaos with a new adaptation, restoring “order,” at least temporarily.
If you think that this “cat and mouse” game between chaos and order only applies to living organisms, then think again: many of our inanimate creations too, are subject to fail or to succeed based on their adaptability. Here are a few examples:
- Sugarcane mills that evolved into generating electricity
- Automobile industry evolving to become “greener”
- Retailers leaving “brick and mortar” stores to sell on-line
- Grocery stores expanding their services to include home deliveries
These are just a few examples of how we need our businesses and industries to “evolve” in order to survive (in order to keep employing us, humans).
Likewise, news archives are full of stories of defunct businesses that failed to predict threats or that failed to implement appropriate or timely countermeasures (Blockbuster, the movie rental company, quickly comes to mind). I wish you all success as you identify and overcome your daily challenges.
Cheers!