What is Normal?

Issue 142, January 11, 2024

How many times have we heard, “the new normal.” Or conversely, the longing to return to what was normal. Or an optimistic claim to create a modern normal.  Well, guess what, there is no normal.  Nor was there ever one. We have operated in a disruptive, asymmetrical marketplace for over a century of continuous change. The difference today is the speed of communications that transmit the market conditions that we face 24/7.  This speed brings changes to the forefront of our consciousness, giving the illusion that we are experiencing daily radical new waves of disruption upending our lives. In the minds of many, the changes seem radical, immediate, and often negative. Others relish disruption — real or perceived. In either case, it’s becoming more difficult to sort through it all to understand what it all means and how it matters. And not to be prosaic, but speed kills.

Last week we asked the question: “Is this us?” We concluded that 2024 will offer many challen…