INsight/ Responding to Metacrisis
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Manila, 4 September 2025 — How can you contribute to systemic solutions for the metacrisis?
Story
In recent years, the word polycrisis has entered our vocabulary. It describes the tangle of overlapping crises—climate disruption, pandemics, economic shocks, and geopolitical tensions—that interact in ways no single nation or sector can solve alone.
At the same time, thought leaders such as Zachary Stein and Daniel Schmachtenberger have pointed to the deeper metacrisis: not just the symptoms, but the underlying failures in meaning-making, governance, education, and coordination that keep generating new crises.
This recognition is not just Western. In China, scholars are integrating systemic risk research with interdependence frameworks. In India, thinkers link planetary health with dharmic traditions of balance. Across Southeast Asia, governments are strengthening disaster resilience and climate cooperation. Globally, the Institute for Applied Metatheory (IAM) is bringing together researchers and practitioners to apply integrative thinking and metatheory to systemic challenges.
Challenge
The challenge for leaders is clear: How do we respond at different levels? First, Individually – by cultivating resilience, clarity, and discernment, so we can see patterns beyond immediate noise.
Second, in Teams and Organizations – by fostering collaboration across silos, embracing adaptive learning, and creating cultures where diverse perspectives can converge on shared purpose.
Third, in the International Community – by strengthening bridges across nations, sectors, and traditions, moving from competition for short-term advantage to collaboration for long-term survival and flourishing.
Question
Across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, leaders are emphasizing that indigenous knowledge and local resilience strategies must be part of global responses—because no region can afford to be left out.
As you look at your own sphere of influence, here’s my question for you this week:
What step can you take—individually, with your team, or in your wider community—to shift from firefighting isolated problems to contributing to deeper, systemic solutions for the metacrisis?
