Why we need a new story about ourselves and society

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The process of rewriting the story is demanding for all of us. When cracks appear, according to a long-held belief, it causes anxiety and pain. When a certain world is replaced by a great deal of uncertainty, the danger is that we cling to what we know more than ever. The attraction of the familiar affects itself regardless of how dysfunctional we know the familiar to be. When we recognize this, we can hold space for this collapse and transition with more gentleness, more respect, more care. Otherwise, anxiety turns to anger and people lose trust in each other and in their institutions. The result risks becoming a vicious cycle: as the challenges of our time intensify, we trust our leaders less, the channels we seek for our discontent—such as anti-scientific beliefs or conspiracy theories—become more extreme, and our leaders, in turn, trust us less. They are even more inclined to stick to their knowledge—the old stories—and deny us agency as they make futile attempts to solve challenges for us without us.

For this reason, the most important work in this period should be reimagining what leadership is. If those in a position of power act as if there is nothing wrong here, nothing to see, our distrust of them will deepen even more. Leaders who build the future of citizens begin by acknowledging uncertainty, sharing questions and challenges with rather than providing (or failing to provide) answers for us. They create opportunities for us to participate and influence. They cultivate so-called “safe uncertainty”: acknowledging strangers, not denying them. They don’t claim to know exactly what the future will look like. They assure us that we build it best by working together. As philosopher and activist Adrienne Maree Brown says, “No one is special, everyone is needed.”

To survive and thrive, we must step into the future of citizens. We should see ourselves as citizens—people who actively shape the world around us, who maintain meaningful connections to their communities and institutions, who can imagine a different and better life, who care and bear responsibility, and who create opportunities for others to do the same. Crucially, the leaders of our institutions must also see people as citizens and treat us as such.

If we can step into the future of citizens, we can face our myriad challenges: economic uncertainty, ecological emergency, public health threats, political polarization, and more. We can build the future. We can do it there is the future – together.