Transition of Relativists
I would also suggest that something can be done to help Relativists deal with Dualists and their own transition from sideline observer to activist. There are ways for the Relativist to effectively make decisions and act in the world of VUCA-Plus. They can engage polystasis in a thoughtful manner. They can act and reflect on this action. Relativist should indeed be encouraged to participate in an adult version of the polarization experiment—this “experiment” being the real polarized world of mid-21st Century communities. They might seek to eliminate or at least reduce polarization at the cave. They can become peacemakers. The Relativist can help other participants in the experiment to slow down their own knee-jerk polystatic process. They can find the appropriate Essential lens to guide their own actions regarding struggles taking place at Robber Cave.
If they are to become engaged rather than sitting on the side-lines, the Relativist must continue to be reflective and critical in their own judgements. They must slow down the polystatic process or at least be reflective regarding the outcomes of this process. This mode of thought is now applied not just to the observational, predictive and interpretative phases of Polystasis but also to selection of the best (most realistic and ethical) actions to be taken (Schön, 1983). The Relativist will undoubtedly be hesitant to take any action given the confusing world in which they are living. However, they do eventually have to move forward if the world in which they dwell is no longer sustainable.
Perry identifies this as a movement from relativism to Commitment in the Midst of Relativism. Despite our biases and distorted perspectives on the world in which we live and our vulnerability to distorting heuristics, we make a commitment to do something. This is better than sitting back and doing nothing in a polarized rubber cave world—for this world is not sustainable. This shift to commitment is inevitably painful—much as the shift from Dualism to Multiplicity (and from Multiplicity to Relativism) is painful.
Serenity or Courageous Engagement
Retreat to Serenity is not an option in our challenging mid-21st Century world. The navigation of life and work in this world is not easy, for it is guided by imprecise and often conflicting Facts, as well as by relative truths, unreliable authorities and contradictory values. Our Essential lenses certainly help. However, courage is still required. And it takes great courage when the stakes are high—when we are seeking to find what is Essential and to commit to that which is Essential. All of this must be done while navigating a VUCA-Plus world that is filled not only with volatility and uncertainty but also complexity, ambiguity, turbulence and contradictions—the conditions to which I turn in the second essay on the Search for Essentials.
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