When Cyclical Events Become Structural Realities
Posted August 31, 2012
We say things come and go. Sometimes they ebb and flow. Perhaps what goes around comes around. But what happens if something important stops following a cyclical pattern and becomes permanently structural?
There are a few situations in life when fluctuation eventually turns to rigidity. Health is one example. Many of us fluctuate in body weight as age, levels of activity, food consumption and genetic makeup gradually move us from occasional wardrobe adjustments to more or less permanent obesity. Those who encounter such health concerns find that once the patterns of life are set in place change becomes very difficult and involves more aggressive tactics. Dieting and exercise may in some cases result in major surgery.
The same is true for families, organizations and communities. Interaction is sometimes complicated. From time to time stresses emerge that result in tension or even conflict. If tension is managed and conflict resolved, the entity can become stronger as healthy interaction leads to trust and confidence. Unresolved tension and conflict can lead to levels of toxicity that move us from restitution and reconciliation to broken families, fragmented organizations and fractured communities. The natural collection and release of tension that follows a cyclical pattern gradually becomes structural, withstanding our best attempts to open new channels of trust.
Many look to the current election as a means of resolving the tensions we face once and for all. It sounds to me like a winner-take-all contest. I’m afraid those who have such a hope will be seriously disappointed. No election as divisive as this one will be a source of increasing confidence and trust. Even more challenging is the election is really not a vote for a person. We appear to be voting for competing ideologies.
Election cycles come and go, but ideological divisions tend to live on. This has been true in the context of religion whether we consider the Christian church and its many divisions, or Islam and the factions that cross national boundaries pitting neighbor against neighbor. If the ebb and flow of dialogue and debate gradually moves to anger and accusation, we will encounter structural divisions that may last for centuries. It’s happened before and it can happen again.
It’s also true for the national economic agenda where ideology is the focus and entangled with many other ideologies. The resulting recalcitrance on position is leaving us in a paralysis of inaction. In this case, our cyclical pattern of growth, recession and recovery will not only become a chronic condition, but also permanently structural. If current levels of unemployment, mounting sovereign debt and income disparity persist too long, they may become structural. This, too, has happened before and it can happen again. Just look at Europe.
To assume we are immune is to deny the reality history teaches us.
This piece was originally written for The Des Moines Register’s A Better Iowa, where President Mark Putnam served as a featured columnist.
About the Author
I'm the lucky individual who carries the title, 21st president of Central College in Pella, Iowa. Passionate about higher education and the issues facing it and the world today, I hope to invoke an engaging conversation with all who are ready to dig in, make a difference and build for the future. Share your thoughts. I'm listening and interested.