Tricky times of transformation. Periods of transformation consist of 3 stages. These are the same for individuals, groups and whole societies. The first is separation, a stage of stopping and letting go. Second is transition, a stage of searching for new ways. Third is integration, a stage of defining intentions and shaping a new reality.
We are in a stage of transition on all kinds of fronts. Anthropologists describe what we are experiencing as liminality, from the Latin limes: between two borders. It is a messy time between what was and what will be. Between fact and fiction, between what we fear and what we desire. Existing hierarchies and established norms are being questioned, sacred symbols mocked and time-honoured rights upended in the search for new paths and stories. Liminality brings many opportunities for improvement and innovation, but also dangers. Here are five.
1. Permanent liminality. If we fail to fully break with old habits and lack the courage to make new choices, we wind up stuck, in limbo. We realise we ought to make a change, but can’t. Our inability to address structural problems creates ongoing uncertainty and stress.
There is another reason we are stuck in liminality. By building our society around an unbounded value (fixation on infinite economic growth), we are endorsing unchecked behaviour and have embedded the continual bending of boundaries in our culture. The sky is the limit. Fake it till you make it. But in a finite world we’ll come crashing down sooner or later, when the Earth and humanity are spent.
2. Hooked on experiences. Given a choice, we all sidestep the pain of change. We prefer to keep things fun and inspirational. Like experience junkies, we want to feel the rush of the electrifying experience without the pain that comes with real change. We’re all talk and not much action. We fill the void we feel with adrenaline, comfort food and other substances, leaving underlying problems to fester.
3. Wild stories. When long-held ideas about right and wrong, good and bad, true and false come into question, it’s hard to know who or what to believe. It can make your head spin. Emotions, behaviours and narratives are contagious. We’re tempted to believe in outlandish explanations and new divisions. If there’s no clear story, we’ll make one up.
4. The trickster. Trickster logic frees us from old ideas, shakes things up and makes room for something new. Playing with boundaries and conventions challenges us to think about what we want to uphold, and what we don’t. But tricksters also love nothing better than to play at the boundary between fact and fiction, with the risk that playing a game with words and images becomes more important than conveying facts and issues. And that’s tricky. The biggest danger comes not from people who display trickster behaviour, but from people who are too easily swayed by half-truths, false promises and outright lies. Which is most of us.
5. Fierce power struggle. With any fundamental change come shifts in power. Those power shifts can give rise to fierce and even violent struggles over who gets to set the new course and who bears the heaviest burdens of change. For there to be a peaceful transition to a new situation, those in charge must be willing to change as well. But that’s not easy when they have a vested interest in preserving the status quo.
We are living in tricky times. Sadly, the dangers of liminality are a good business model for many organisations and politicians. If we are to transform, we have to look into the mirror. To shake off lies. Break with old patterns. Connect instead of divide. To question. And to listen. To doubt. And to choose. With leaders who can hold space and navigate this emotional process. Those who fail will be toppled. This is how it has always been, and always will be. Because, together we make our world.
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