“Complex systems are weakened, even killed, when deprived of stressors.”
— Nassim Taleb
Our world is ever changing. Our mental default drives us to try and minimize disruption. We strive to put processes in place that re-establish equilibrium and coherence. This worthy mindset has its place, yet becoming entrenched in attempts to eliminate the unpredictable, regulate volatility, eradicate disruption and shore up defenses can paradoxically lead to a state of fragility, inadequately disguised as resilience and robustness. We create a state that is static and brittle. In his book, Antifragile, Nassim Taleb proposes the following Triad as a way to characterize different solutions:
FRAGILE ______________________ ROBUST _______________________ ANTIFRAGILE
Moving from fragility to robustness may not always be sufficient in a world where controlling randomness and unpredictability is not always possible or even desirable. The concept of antifragility recognizes this inherent fallacy and weakness. Forces of disruption and disorder fuel and energize antifragile systems (and ways of thinking). Their strength emerges from the turmoil of the everyday. Taleb challenges us to have the courage to embrace the power of the unpredictable and the mystery of the unknown.
“Wind extinguishes a candle and energizes fire. Likewise with randomness, uncertainty, chaos: you want to use them, not hide from them. You want to be the fire and wish for the wind.”
― Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder
