Adaptation

Last January, I found myself trudging through slush-filled streets, my fingers numb despite gloves, mentally calculating how many more weeks until spring. A bitter wind whipped between Manhattan’s buildings, creating urban wind tunnels that cut straight through my layers. I don’t love winter. It’s certainly my least favourite season. While I grew up in a relatively cold place with an unpleasant winter, I wouldn’t say I’m better adapted to it than anyone else. I do, however, have an appreciation for the seasons and I try to (begrudgingly) enjoy winter just as much as summer.

In a world of constant change and uncertainty, the metaphors of fluidity and rigidity offer powerful lenses for understanding systems, structures, and human behavior. This exploration goes beyond physical properties to reveal how these opposing approaches shape our response to challenges, determine system resilience, and ultimately influence our success in navigating life’s complexities. From physics to finance, from engineering to personal adaptation, the tension between flowing with change and resisting it defines our reality in profound ways.