With increasing concern around the globe about what the world’s future will look like, many are beginning to wonder what the government’s appropriate role is in solving the challenges that face us. Polling in the United States suggests that a large majority have lost confidence in the ability of government to come up with creative solutions to pressing economic and social issues. Riots and protests worldwide tend to confirm a universal concern.

What’s behind this lack of confidence? Some would suggest it’s an inability to get beyond partisan approaches. More and more, partisanship finds its roots in differing ideologies, and these deep convictions may be what are behind apparent political intransigence and reluctance to compromise or work together. They are certainly a big contributor to the rancor that is often part of today’s political discourse.

One approach to resolution might be appealing for more civil discourse—a worthy endeavor indeed. But there may be something deeper here that needs addressing. When we lose confidence in something, it’s often because we’ve lost our vision of where we’re going. Today we are in an era of changing political and economic models—our paradigms are shifting almost in every quarter. Not knowing what will work, yet realizing that what has been done before might not work now, puts us adrift. This unsettling situation is what social forecaster John Naisbitt describes as “a time of parenthesis, the time between eras” (Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives, p. 249).