The Promise of Tomorrow
Ancient Evening by Alphonse Osbert, 1908 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)
“Q: What’s always coming but never arrives?
A: Tomorrow”
Looking at the past, the future seems so certain, doesn’t it?
Our present is the future of generations past.
But for our ancestors, the future was never guaranteed.
Julius Caesar most likely expected to awake once again on March 16 in 44 B.C.
The passengers of the Titanic expected to reach New York City on the sunny morning of April 17, 1912
The men and women who worked at the Windows on the World restaurant on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower expected to return home after their shift on September 11, 2001.
The point being, of course, that while we might try to hone and craft the future, there are elements that are out of our control that can shape and reshape our world.
And that’s a terrifying thought for many people.
Fear of the Future
“Adapted to the service of the Church or the ambition of the state, the fear of the future is the blessing that extorts the payment of the protection money. For the Taliban and the Tea Party it’s a useful means of crowd control, but for a democratic republic, crouching in the shadow of what might happen tomorrow tends to restrict the freedom of thought as well as the freedoms of movement, and leads eventually to a death by drowning in the bathtub of self-pity.”
Imagine that. Using the Fear of What Might Happen™ as a cudgel to subdue those who might be free-thinkers.
Lapham once called fear “America’s top-selling consumer product, available 24-7 as mobile app with color-coded pop-ups in all shades of the paranoid rainbow,” and it is a commodity that can be found in many shapes on screens of all sizes.
And it’s usually being sold or marketed by someone who wants something from you.
Consider who that is and what they want from you.
The Daily Grind
And who can blame the fearful? Particularly when they live in a state of dread, or even worse: a state of drudgery.
“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
— William Shakespeare, 1606
MacBeth’s most famous soliloquy finds him bereft at the death of his wife, with the burden of living left to MacBeth (as well as the guilt of murdering Duncan).
He finds that time drags on, with little meaning left for him.
Heavy stuff from Shakespeare (hey, it’s a tragedy, what do you want?). A stark reminder of just how dull and dreary life can be when we live with fear and uncertainty.
A Hopeful Present
What about leading with hope instead?
As leaders, we give people a vision and a common goal — something bigger than them that they can find value and meaning in — and we commit to working together, driven by our values that we talk about and live.
That vision should be aspirational yet relatable, but something to strive for. The goals should be attainable mile-markers along the journey.
Attainable. That’s a particularly important concept.
We don’t want goals to be out of reach, like the tantalizing sign promising “Free Beer! (Tomorrow Only.)”
Credit: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
We need to celebrate our achievements along the way, including celebrating each other. For the success of one or a few of us is the success of all of us.
CEOs, parents, teachers, friends, colleagues, and neighbors alike — we all should be bringing each other along with a promise for a better tomorrow, woven together with common values and a vision, serving with humility, and leading with hope.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for tomorrow.
There’s so much to learn,
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