The Time of Loaves and Fishes

We are in a time where it's hard to see how things end. Whether we're looking at politics, COVID, or the challenges of our businesses. How does it end? There are so many unknowns in this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment. Distraction, disengagement, and distrust are rampant.

I've been talking to the people at Taskforce Pineapple, people in Afghanistan, and people in government. No one has any idea of how this thing's going to end. After suffering a strategic defeat in Afghanistan, we have thousands of American citizens and Afghan partners who can't get out. They're being targeted by the Taliban, hunted, beaten, and murdered. Their children are being executed in front of them. These atrocities are not being reported because the media has moved on.

Our veteran population and others have stepped up to help their Afghan brothers and sisters. It's like being on the world's longest 9-1-1 call as a dispatcher. These volunteers are on the phone with Afghans, listening to their families get murdered, and knowing that nobody is going to help them. With so much of that going on, it’s hard not to lose hope, but it’s still there.

Recently, we helped an American citizen fly to Qatar to meet his pregnant wife who was already evacuated out of Afghanistan. She snuck through the streets, was trampled at the Kabul International Airport, and was beaten by the Taliban, but she managed to get to Qatar. The doctors there told her that the baby was coming soon, and she was not going to be able to fly to the United States. She was heartbroken. So, we got on the phone and managed to get the husband on a flight to be with her. They're going to have their first child together in safety.

There's still hope. This struggle with Afghanistan sucks for the people that are still stuck, the Afghan Americans whose families are still over there, and for the people who've had to step up to do what the government won't. But it's not going away. Whether you're working the Afghan problem or dealing with problems in your business, we don't know how it's going to end.

I think our people need us to acknowledge that we don't know how it's going to end, and that we are going to lead anyway. Even though we don't know what the future holds, we will step into the arena and lead.

Robert Putnam talked about this in his book, “The Upswing”. In the early 1900’s, our country was a mess. Crime was high, infrastructure was crumbling, and political division was rampant. We were in our darkest days, and a couple of alcoholics in Ohio looked at each other and said, “Nobody else is coming. Nobody's going to help us get sober. Let's have a meeting and call it Alcoholics Anonymous.” Nobody was leading at a community level, so regular people started taking charge.

All of that started because leaders looked at each other, and said, “We'll do it.” They began a bottom-up approach that built social capital, bridging trust, and created a picture that was bigger than themselves. This started the longest running period of social capital in American history. I believe that we're in that place again.

We must take the microphone from the divisionists who are exploiting fear and anger and dividing us. Whether that's in your PTA, community, or business, if you see leaders who are not moving us towards bridging trust, take the microphone from them.

Next, realize that the world belongs to the storyteller. Stories are how the brain makes sense of the world. People’s brains are looking for new patterns. If we don't provide them, then the brain uses old patterns. The left hemisphere of the brain takes over and focuses on anger and fear. We need storytellers to give shared perspective and hope. That's what stories have done for nearly 70,000 years. Whether you're leading your business, a movement, or a non-profit, use story to bridge across trust gaps.

As you go to a meeting, a call, or gather around the dinner table, say, “Here's where we've been, here’s where we are, and here’s where we're going.” Leaders these days try to talk about where we're going, but nobody is talking about where we've been and where we are now. Once you do that, then you share your vision. People will start to feel safe and connected to one another.

When we don't know how it's going to end, just recognize that nobody else is coming and that's okay. There's an upswing coming. There's potential for us to step up, make connections, and be storytellers. This is the time of loaves and fishes. People are hungry. One good word is bread for a thousand.