Internal Crisis as an Impediment to Futures Thinking

Abstract

Since the publication of The Limits to Growth in 1972, it is hoped that human beings have become more aware of potential crises and have become more proactive to prevent those crises from happening. Halal and Marien held a symposium on the Global Megacrisis in the Journal of Futures Studies in 2011. Based on the discussion in the symposium, this paper tries to reveal why a crisis often leads to a collapse even if warnings about the crisis have been issued for some time. It uses as a case the collapse of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which occurred on March 11, 2011. The paper argues that the root cause of a crisis in society is found in the crisis of self-worth inside individuals and organizations.