{"id":34532,"date":"2023-12-07T18:16:56","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T02:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=34532"},"modified":"2023-12-08T10:04:45","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T18:04:45","slug":"agape-the-critical-element-of-antifragility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/agape-the-critical-element-of-antifragility\/","title":{"rendered":"AGAPE: The Critical Element of Antifragility"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s ironic to post about Nassim Nicholas Taleb\u2019s book Antifragile <\/em>during a time when I am very fragile health wise. Over the past 5 weeks, I have battled a treatment-resistant sinus infection that just developed a secondary infection this past week. After days spent in bed with swollen lymph nodes, pain and anxiety attacks, I\u2019ve never been more aware of the fragility of the human condition. Especially as this infection strikes just before the very last week of the semester and a month before the doctoral project is due. With all that in mind, let\u2019s take a look at Taleb\u2019s thesis about antifragility and unpack a few connections I\u2019ve made to my own life.<\/p>\n

About Tabel and Antifragile<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n

I would describe Nassim Nicholas Taleb (or NNT as some refer to him) as anti-academic <\/em>in many ways\u2014at least in the traditional sense of academia. He went from being a professional in the mathematical financial world to an author, philosopher, professor and \u201cepistemologist of the random.\u201d[1]<\/a> His 2012 book, Antifragile <\/em>is a manifesto calling for people, systems and institutions that are \u201cnot only unharmed by adverse events, but actually strengthened by them.\u201d If something or someone is antifragile, <\/em>they actually gain from disorder, chaos and the unexpected.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Recent Examples<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Recent evidence of antifragility recalls the COVID epidemic and the way that organizations had to quickly move from a static, predictable nature to a fluid, creative nature if they wanted to survive. And indeed, the antifragile not only survived, but thrived during COVID.\u00a0 It is this ingenuity, risk-taking and entrepreneurial spirit that Tabel suggests the world needs as we move into the future.<\/p>\n

Another example is my daughter\u2019s decision to take a gap year this fall instead of directly enrolling in college. At 19 years old, Audrey chose the uncharted path and traveled to ten countries in Europe over nine weeks.[3]<\/a> If I had read Antifragile at the time, I would have told her that her trip embodied the antifragile spirit. Traveling alone in countries where she did not understand the language or the culture forced her to be responsive and flexible. She met complete strangers who influenced where she plans to study, navigated the ups and downs of international travel, and now has skills she never could have received in a tradition classroom. Facing her fears and coming out stronger is the epitome of antifragility. I am so inspired and humbly proud of her. But I also know something about antifragility that Taleb does not and that is that there is a Divine hand working in the chaos of life, working all things together for the good of those who love Him. [4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Theology of Randomness<\/strong><\/h1>\n

When I typed the title above, I didn\u2019t even know there was such a thing as a Theology of Randomness, but a quick Google search assured me there is indeed. As Christ-followers who believe God is ultimately working to bring His Kingdom to earth on this side of heaven, we need to wrestle with the question, \u201cIs anything truly random?\u201d Tackling that question requires more brain power than I have at the moment, but if you are interested in the nitty gritty theological arguments for and against, Griffith and Naraghi tackle it in Randomness and Providence: Defining the Problem(s)<\/em>.[5]<\/a> For the purpose of this blog, I will rely on Romans 8:28 as noted above with the key word being good. <\/em>He works all things together for the good<\/em>. So when chaos ensues whether unchosen (like COVID or my current sickly state) or chosen (like Audrey\u2019s gap year), Christ followers indeed have God\u2019s promise of antifragility, in a sense. We may not get the outcome or comfort we desire, but somehow, some way, we can trust that God will eventually work it for the good. Even if we don\u2019t get to see it in our lifetime.<\/p>\n

Agape is Key<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Here\u2019s where we come full circle. When Audrey was in Greece, she had the Greek word AGAPE tattooed on her arm and I truly believe AGAPE is the key to antifragility as it is most certainly the key to the Christian faith. AGAPE is a self-sacrificial love. It puts others before oneself. It choses the other over the ego. In it\u2019s purest form, it is Christ\u2019s sacrifice on the cross for the whole world. When I look at all of the challenges I am personally facing and all of the challenges that the world is currently facing, I remind myself that we can indeed by antifragile, but only by putting others before ourselves, as Christ did. In dying, He gave life. It does not make sense to the world, but it does in the Kingdom of God. If more people lived like Him,\u00a0 no unforeseen circumstance could ever defeat us because AGAPE always wins the day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Jacques Richardson, \u201cBook Review: Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb,\u201d World Futures Review<\/em> 5, no. 2 (June 1, 2013): 219\u201321, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1946756713491391.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> David Howden, \u201cAntifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder,\u201d The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics<\/em> 16, no. 3 (September 22, 2013): 363\u201367.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Read about Audrey\u2019s travels at www.audreyfleetwood.com<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Romans 8:28<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Aaron M. Griffith and Arash Naraghi, \u201cRandomness and Providence: Defining the Problem(s),\u201d in Abrahamic Reflections on Randomness and Providence<\/em>, ed. Kelly James Clark and Jeffrey Koperski (Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022), 29\u201353, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-030-75797-7_3.<\/p>\n

[6] Taleb, Nassim Nicholas Nicholas. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder<\/i>. Reprint edition. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s ironic to post about Nassim Nicholas Taleb\u2019s book Antifragile during a time when I am very fragile health wise. Over the past 5 weeks, I have battled a treatment-resistant sinus infection that just developed a secondary infection this past week. After days spent in bed with swollen lymph nodes, pain and anxiety attacks, I\u2019ve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":154,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2309,1],"tags":[2948],"class_list":["post-34532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership","category-uncategorized","tag-antifragile-taleb-dlgp01","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/154"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34532"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34580,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34532\/revisions\/34580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}