From Clarity to Agency: Co-Creating Our Future Together

In a world tangled with complexity and ambiguity, true clarity feels like a rare breath of fresh air. For me, clarity sparks optimism, and with that optimism comes not only the desire to shape the future but also a strong sense of agency—the belief that I, as an individual and as part of a collective, hold the power to shape the future. The future isn't just something to survive; it's something we should actively co-create.

The Cost of Distance

Recently, during a quiet moment of reflection high in the mountains at the EFA, I became acutely aware of how often I distance myself from others. By stepping back emotionally, intellectually, and morally, I gain perspective and control—but at the cost of feeling isolated. It made me ponder: How can we truly collaborate and innovate if I distance myself and don't engage with the messiness of opposing thoughts, allowing myself to be truly challenged?

Clarity often feels like a breath of fresh air—a moment of simplicity after wading through a swamp of complexity. Yet, time and time again, I’ve realized that this lightness—this clarity—does not come easily. It emerges only after embracing the messiness and the discomfort of ambiguity that surrounds our decisions, negotiations, and thought processes. It’s only by pushing through this fog that we rediscover agency and the power to shape the world around us.

Balancing Values and Openness

Breaking through the fog of uncertainty means embracing the messiness of our decisions and remaining open to challenging our own beliefs. It’s about finding that delicate balance between holding steadfast to our values and being receptive to others' perspectives. This process certainly isn’t straightforward, but it’s essential for reclaiming our agency and building a purposeful, resilient future together.

This elevation, especially regarding moral values, is something I often grapple with. I hold beliefs that I deeply want to see realized in the world, and to do that, I must act. But in acting, I imply that my values are superior to others'. This puts me in a position of judgment—an uncomfortable space to occupy. Does this make me intolerant? In some ways, it does. It suggests that I seek to impose my beliefs on others, no matter how benevolent my intentions.

Here lies the contradiction: How can I meet others as equals if I believe my values are inherently “better”? The resolution lies somewhere between confrontation and openness. Confrontation clarifies and sharpens my values, while openness leaves room to be challenged, to be convinced that perhaps my values are not universally right. This tension between holding firm beliefs and remaining open is necessary. It’s friction, and it refines us—but only if we’re willing to sit in that discomfort long enough to find clarity.

In English, we have the term "sense-making," which speaks to this process of navigating ambiguity to find meaning and understanding. In German, while there’s no perfect equivalent, terms like “Bedeutungsbestimmung” or “Wissenskonstruktion” come close. When you think about how knowledge is constructed, it’s fascinating. It’s not a collection of facts but a tapestry of connections and insights, patterns and perspectives that, together, form wisdom.

This process of sense-making is messy. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when facing the weight of complex decisions, particularly in groups. Participatory processes, while often celebrated, are notoriously difficult in practice. They require us to engage with others' perspectives and to allow space for collective messiness. But this very messiness is where something valuable emerges—if we can tolerate it long enough.

This rings true not just for groups but for individuals. I often find myself spending days lost in thought, grappling with competing positions, interests, and needs. It can be exhausting, but eventually, clarity emerges—sometimes in the form of a firm stance and sometimes in the acceptance that ambiguity is tolerable. The key for me was learning to position myself only where it matters, leaving space for uncertainty in areas where it doesn’t. This practice has allowed me to reclaim my sense of clarity and agency, even while embracing complexity elsewhere.

On a societal level, this process gives me pause. We seem fixated on positioning for its own sake. In the face of geopolitical and technological shifts, our first instinct is often outrage or reaction rather than thoughtful engagement with the heart of the matter. But it’s not a dead end. As individuals and societies, we have the capacity to rediscover clarity.

Clarity to me brings optimism, and with optimism comes the desire to shape the future. The future isn’t something to merely survive—it’s something we should actively co-create. Change is necessary, but it needs to be intentional and aligned with the values and goals we share as a society. And this requires compromise. We can’t simply change what we feel comfortable with; we need to engage with ideas that challenge us and meet others where they are. Only then can we create lasting, meaningful change.