Last week I was in Durban in South Africa (with Maurice the Mole) to deliver a talk entitled “Only Dead Fish Go with the Flow”.
The premise of this talk is that in the crazy times in which we are living, it’s so easy to follow the crowd, to believe just one narrative, to do what you are told without question – to go with the flow.
At this precise moment, it feels as though the world has become this enormous river, moving so fast that everyone is travelling in exactly the same direction… as long as you can keep your head above water, you think you’re doing OK.
But here’s the question:
What if the river is heading towards a waterfall.
At what point do you STOP going with the flow?
The challenge to my audience and to you too is to learn to navigate your own journey.
- To acknowledge and define the challenge that you face rather than deny it.
- To explore and to question everything, including alternative narratives, your own experience and perspective.
- To consider multiple options and solutions and to understand the criteria and values that will guide your decision.
- To finally commit to walking forwards, having found a much wider view and appreciating the wisdom gained in meeting the challenge head on.
The key skill in navigating through this time of uncertainty is to think Deeply, Differently and Dangerously. And of course to ask “What Would Maurice Do?”
As I reflected on my time in South Africa, one thought stayed with me: our horizons only expand when we are prepared to step beyond the familiar. New places, new conversations and new perspectives don’t just change what we see – they change how we think.
The current of life will always pull us towards certainty, conformity and comfort. But progress has never belonged to those who simply drift. It belongs to those who are willing to pause, question, explore and choose their own direction.
So, this week, ask yourself: Where am I simply going with the flow, and where do I need the courage to chart my own course? One conversation, one question or one small decision could open up an entirely new horizon.
Until next time, keep thinking deeply, differently and, when it matters most, dangerously.
We rise or fall by the choice we make, all depends on the road we take. And the choice and the road each depend on the light that we have, the light we bend, on the light we use or refuse. On the lies we live by and from which we die.
– Ben Okri –