Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
Activated chaos theory is the work of finding the general order of systems that are similar to each other. The assumption is that in a context dominated by unpredictability, even that unpredictability will become predictable and that can be used to establish a pathway to stability and orderliness.
In a social context, this is a complicated way of saying that when the very foundations are being shaken, and everything seems to be on the verge of falling off the cliff with no sense of what is coming next, solid ground can be found. Something can form that will be a catalyst for good and lasting change.
This is a hope-filled thought amid the chaos we are experiencing with constant changes in the United States that are having a global impact, alongside a very direct impact to Canada. That impact is being felt across systems, across relationships, and within our bodies and minds. Many are discovering that constant chaos is accompanied by the exhaustion that comes with fighting the relentless unknown. But such is not, indeed, cannot be without end.
Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Canada, named it when she said in response to the current chaos caused by U.S. tariffs, threats against various groups of people, and other impositions: “It’s not true that we will go through this psychodrama every 30 days,” (March 5, 2025).
The fact is, chaos is inherently unsustainable. We are not, in our human design, built for unending unpredictability. People cannot tolerate constant chaos and thus will begin to drive their stakes in the ground to establish some order and stability. And that brings change.
We see this at COMPASS Refugee Centre with every person we serve. Though often lost in the larger narrative, their personal stories are of chaos enacted against them, initial disorientation (to put it mildly), and then decisions and actions designed to bring about change.
A danger in any of this is when we start pitting people and their stories against each other, rather than embracing them as unique and essential pieces of a cohesive whole. What one suffers is ultimately because of how we all do life.
We are in a global context where very little happens in one place that does not eventually ripple to our front door, and into our living spaces. Chaos in one place will show up where we are. While we may not be responsible for that chaos, shutting the door, battening down the hatches, and trying to exclude the unknown – whether a person or a situation – will not get us to the change needed. Each wave of chaos is an opportunity to come together, not fall apart or be driven apart. And every time we come together, and create space for others, we have the catalyst for something good to form, away from the chaos. That is a change we can all live with.
