PLC Newsletter: Musings on 2024: Binary Thinking and History Repeating Itself

It has been a few months since I have shared my thoughts via this newsletter. Writing typically energizes me and I admit that I simply did not feel compelled to do it. I practiced what I preach and let it go. Just so we are on the same page, I typically classify my writing style as a blend of academic and personal. There will not be any substantive citations today, simply my thoughts; therefore, this may seem bloggy. If that’s not your jam, then keep it movin’ with my blessing. 😉

My experience of 2024 has been one of friction, dislocation and agita within both my personal and professional circles. Everyone around me, myself included, appeared to experience some major life dislocation. Maybe since I am squarely middle aged that comes with the season of childrearing, eldercare and/or personal health conundrums. I believe in the law of attractions, so maybe I am attracting all of that. Maybe it is the nature of my work. Maybe it is the state of the geopolitical environment. Or all of the above.

All I know is that I am tired. While I love “peopling,” I am at the point where I just want to crawl into a hole and hibernate for the rest of the winter. However, I’m not Thoreau and I don’t have the luxury of hanging out on Walden Pond for the next year or two. I did go out of town for 2 days last month to reset and recharge to give me the energy to complete the gauntlet that has been 2024.

And Then it Happened

As I binged Netflix, I had a mind blowing moment. I watched a movie that began with a quote. Then I poked around and picked a random movie in the depths of my feed that was something I would never typically watch. And that movie began with the same quote! 😳

At that moment, it was as if the world stopped. My head was spinning. I took a few breaths to calm my nerves and attempted to process the message.

“There are only 2 ways to live your life…One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

I don’t believe in coincidences. I began to sit and think, “What message am I meant to receive? What can I learn from this experience?” Of course, being me, I did take a moment to look up the definition of miracle to connect with the basic tenets of the word. 😂

According to Merriam Webster, a miracle is. “1. : an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs. 2. : an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment.”

On Binary Thinking

Hmmm. I don’t know if I agree with Einstein. Isn’t there something that lives in between everything and nothing? I avoid, to the extent possible, binary thinking. Setting up an all or nothing world can lend itself to unreasonable standards, expectations and perfectionism. Sitting in this thought process took me back to 2020 when I formally launched my business. I talked about “living in the ‘and’,” which was about navigating and negotiating the grey in life.

“I believe that we can live in the AND. Meaning, we can perform at work and at home in a powerful AND healthy way. We just get to be clear about what is important, identify the tradeoffs and make choices that will move us towards how we want to be and what we want to accomplish.”

Don’t get me wrong. I believe that everyday I wake up is a miracle. But is getting to my pilates class a miracle? How would framing it as such serve me? 🤔

Thinking about the trials and tribulations that I and others experienced this year, there was a continuous cycle of trying to do it all, hitting a wall, resisting and then asking for (or submitting to) help, letting go of the perfect outcome and, ultimately, doing the best we could within the context of the situation with the tools that we had been given. I talk about wellbeing because I am challenged with it myself.

What’s History Got to Do with It?

Good question. I continue to be in a place where I am assessing and evaluating the question of binary thinking. That is clearly a “thing” for me. How it may or may not serve me. Where does it show up? I believe the Einstein quote struck me because it was a reflection of my existing thought patterns. It is a conversation with “self” that is part of my history.

We all have our own history. Things we have experienced, learned and have a challenging time unlearning – this year and in years past. Now is a prudent time of year to slow down and take the time to reflect. Think about what worked and what didn’t work. What do we want to do differently next year? Whose support do we need to move the needle forward? Better to take the time now than after the new year when we are off and running again, stockpiling a new to-do list and resolutions that will disappear into the ether by Groundhog Day.

As I have been reflecting on the history we are currently living in, I have thought about quotes from days gone by to help bring perspective:

– Winston Churchill: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
– Karl Marx: “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.”
– Georg Hegel: “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.”
– George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.

Those quotes then took me down a rabbit hole of reflection, which culminated in the concept that life is circular.

“Life is a continuous cycle with no true beginning or end, much like a circle, where birth, growth, decline, and death are all part of an ongoing process that constantly repeats, with the end of one cycle becoming the start of the next, signifying renewal and rebirth; essentially, everything is interconnected and contributes to the larger cycle of life on Earth.” – The Google

Final Thought

We are individuals living in a society. As individuals, we get to learn and explore “self.” As a society, ideally, the same will occur. Now is an opportunity for individuals and society to reflect and decide how we want to be and to live. Binary thinking is not the pathway to success. Rather, there continues to be an opportunity to live in the grey, the in-between, the “and,” that will enable us to grow together.

Best wishes to you, your family and to the world for a safe and happy holiday and to a peaceful 2025.