Is building a vision dead?

I grew up in Armenia during the war. We had no electricity, water was hard to get, and schools were closed intermittently. What got us through, and kept my family happy despite the circumstances, was the resourcefulness, adaptability and camaraderie in the community. I learnt these foundational skills as a child.

After the war, the country moved from socialism to democracy. Almost every structure we knew was changing, and so it was a lot. But through it all, there was also a lot of hope, because people could see what they were building toward.

I think the world is going through a similar transition now, at a much greater scale. And through this transition I hear the same advice in our industry, which is “since everything is changing all the time, don’t think about vision, build for today and keep adjusting”.
I understand this advice very well, but I also disagree with it. It amounts to being reactive.

Reacting is not a strategy.

It’s hard to build an equitable future for everyone without first defining a purpose and having a guiding light.