Crises in Personal Orientation and Ways of Overcoming Them

Abstract

The author insists that the concept of orientation, encompassing both natural instincts and learned capacities, serves as a foundational mechanism for making sense of the world and acting within it. Crises, in a broad or narrow sense, disrupt these mechanisms, demanding adaptation to restore stability of the overall orientation – the system composed of natural and taught Orientations. The paper explores the interconnectedness of orientation types, highlighting how instability in one domain can cascade into broader disorientation and how one type of orientation can come to aid another to preserve the integrity of the overall system. The author argues in favor of a holistic approach towards orientation, highlighting the necessity of a stable orientation framework to respond effectively to the complex challenges of a world in crisis. Ultimately, the paper studies the example of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, showing the complex interplay between overall orientation and crisis.