Apart <—> Connected
Hierarchy <—> Lattice
Them <—> Us
Winning <—> Interacting
Brittle <—> Flexible
Just in time <—> Slack
Excluded <—> Included
Willful <—> Perceptive
Fearful <—> Honest
Static <—> Bandwidth
Facts <—> Stories
Barriers <—> Bridges
Final <—> First
Shadows <—> Light
Consumption <—> Sustainability
Retribution <—> Justice
Once <—> Again
The list above was copied directly from Seth Godin’s post Toward Resilience. There are few email list messages I read on a daily or regular basis and most messages get deleted if I don’t find the subject interesting. I seldom delete Seth Godin’s messages because he has an amazing economy and elegance with words. In the 18 pairs of words, which include the title, Seth conveys the notion and importance of moving toward resilience. He also lets you decide where or in what you believe you should be resilient. These 36 words are worth pondering.
I don’t always agree with Godin. While it is true that resilient systems can be more effective and efficient I don’t agree that their impact is always calming and that they provide consistent or calming stability. Due to the ever-changing nature of our digital world, the work of maintaining these resilient systems will never be calming nor complete. But these systems are worth the effort.
