“Let’s Just Wait and See”

I hate waiting. Whether it is a line at the store or an anticipated event, waiting makes my teeth hurt. Patience is not my virtue.

Lately, there have been lots of changes happening in the world, in lots of areas, and they are happening fast. We have lots of unanswered questions; we don’t know where things will end up. This is true in farming (think economics, policies) as well as every other sector.

The response I hear most often is “Let’s just wait and see.” Arrgghhhh. Inaction feels awful. BUT rushing to action when we don’t know how things may or may not change isn’t wise. What to do?

A different way

This past week I’ve been thinking about another way to approach this. It comes from the field of Future Studies. I know that sounds kinda weird, but future studies is a way to think about the future specifically during uncertain times.

What if, instead of just waiting for the future to get here and then figure out how to react, we tried to imagine several different possible futures and think about how we might respond to each one? I’m not talking about a huge big planning effort—that kind of scenario planning is for business and communities. But what if each of us had at least some ideas for what we would do if A, B, C, or D happened?

Possible futures

One way to imagine what A, B, C, or D are is through various categories of future that futurists have developed: A=Continuing on the same path, B= Downturn or collapse, C=New normal, and D=Transformation.  

Questions I might think about could be:

A: If things continue on the same path we have been on, what do I, my family, my farm, need?

B: If things get really bad in farming, what are options for me, my family, my farm?

C: If we need to readjust because of changes in farming—new markets, new varieties, new value-added—what do I need to do to be ready for that adjustment?

D: If technology really transforms farming, what does that mean for me, my family, and my farm? What do I need to do to be ready for technology?

Doing this as a mental exercise, by myself and with my spouse, is giving me some ideas for what I might do depending on how the world changes. I feel a little more prepared, even though I know I can’t possibly imagine everything that’s going to happen. Instead of waiting, then starting from scratch trying to figure things out, I will at least have some ideas to work from.

I hate waiting, but I don’t mind preparing for possibilities. It keeps me from feeling helpless and frustrated. It keeps me believing that we can all keep thriving.

If you’d like to read more about scenario planning, you can look here or  here. It’s interesting reading