Hold on to the truest tranquillity
The myriad things are all active
– Tao Te Ching

…innovation and sophistication spark from initial situations of necessity, in ways that go far beyond the satisfaction of such necessity
– Nicholas Nassim Taleb

At a time when people were already feeling if not reeling from the effects of the digital disruption, the trade war, fake news and cybersecurity breaches, we now have a new menace in Covid-19. Oil prices have crashed, stock markets are at a record low, the real economy appears to have come to an abrupt halt and in Singapore schools will close on Wednesday for a month at least. Still, the PSLE will continue as planned barring further unusual circumstances.

For a while now, since the recent past, the world has been described as VUCA – volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. Some have called VUCA the new normal and indeed, the suddenness of Covid-19 appears to well underscore the point. Some others have referred to Covid-19 as a black swan event – a high impact event which could not have been foreseen because of weaknesses which accumulate over time in large complex systems and because of randomness.

The sheer volume of bad news and consequent disruption to our daily lives can be shocking and too much to digest. We could throw up our hands in despair or prefer instead to be like the proverbial ostrich which sticks its head in the sand because the world it seems, has become a VUCA pond of black swans.

Except, it has not. Life has always been unpredictable, the myriad things have always been active, on both the personal and more macro levels. Also, the author who made ‘black swan’ a colloquial term did not stop with ‘The Black Swan’. He also wrote ‘Antifragile’.

Antifragile according to him is not merely being resilient to negative events and disorder but to actually gain from such disorder. His thesis is that since black swans have always been with us since time immemorial, we ought to find ways to profit from such events by being nimble and adaptable and by reading his book of course.

In fact, he says, events which cause us pain make us better. He quoted Cato, a Roman statesman, who “did not like it when we had it too easy, as he worried about the weakening of the will” from which “an entire society can fall ill”. He says people and societies overcompensate when stressed and this overcompensation brings forth breakthroughs on all levels.

Indeed, some businesses which appeared to be on the brink of failure have moved incredibly fast to not only merely survive but actually thrive after the government announced that only essential services will remain open from April 7.

One business owner of a non-essential service, suspended pre-paid memberships for the month of closure and instead converted all existing members to another interim membership plan at a new, lower rate for continued access to services online. This meant a 6-figure windfall. Also, the members were grateful for his hard work in continuing to avail them of his services. Goodwill and windfall after the government announced the mandatory closure – antifragility.

Schools have been working hard to facilitate home based learning (HBL). Still, students sitting for PSLE might be anxious or will soon be. They find themselves in an unenviable position. While not waking up as early or having more freedom over their time might be a welcome change especially for students who otherwise might have been struggling with tightly packed schedules, the PSLE remains a fact of life. Students would need to be more independent and take ownership of their learning given reduced oversight. Yet, if used well, this one month can be a very profitable time for students.

Educationists have been calling for a shift to integrate or transition to digital platforms and modes in teaching and learning. Some might say, they would like to see more progress on this front from schools. This situation is a catalyst and a forcing function. Students would have to familiarize themselves and get used to learning online. While so doing, they might realise that while they may not have a person nearby to clear their doubts with, the internet is a goldmine of resources.

They could Google their doubts and find ready, comprehensive answers. Students who wish to learn more about a topic of interest will now be able to do so at once – self directed learning. The exploration which ensues will bring about the joy of learning since students now get to have their interests lead their learning. Students who need reinforcement or clarification of concepts or to even relearn something, can make use of free platforms such as Khan Academy:Khan Academy Link which offers video lessons on almost anything. Students who are shy or for some other reason did not participate in discussions while in school, can now do so, are already doing so, more boldly in the comfort of their own homes either on platforms used for HBL or other education related forums.

This circuit breaker does not have to be a speed breaker for PSLE students. In fact, it could be the very thing they need, to catch up, to learn more and for students who were on cruise mode, to wake up and get serious about preparation.

Waves are meant to be ridden.

The Brain Dojo