Situation, Crisis

Definition: As used herein, Situation refers to Risky Circumstances (Undesirable and Desirable) that indicate future Judgment to bring about a change in the Circumstances may become necessary. As used herein, a Crisis is that p0int in the development of Risky Circumstances where Judgment to bring about a change in the Circumstances is not avoidable. Choosing to do nothing is a choice to Surrender to Circumstances. Commentary A Situation is not necessarily a Problem-to-be-Solved. A Situation refers to Circumstances that, in turn, could be a Condition, not a Problem. At the beginning of a Situation, one may not know. Also, keep in mind that two or more Persons, Households, Groups, Organizations, or Populations may share a Situation. The Situation can be exceedingly complex. Here are some examples: At a town picnic, the adults notice dark storm clouds rising in the west. They cannot change weather Conditions. At best, they can mitigate their worse consequences by, for example, calling a halt to the picnic so that everyone may seek appropriate shelter. In another case, a little boy - a mere toddler - appears to the nearby adults to be wandering in the general direction of the street. The boy is incapable of Understanding the danger of the Circumstances he may be wandering into. To him, what is happening, is not a Problem. To the adults nearby, however, who do Understand, they regard the Circumstances of the boy as a Situation that warrants their attention. On the one hand, the boy may turn and wander back toward the adults, but then, on the other, he may keep going in the direction of the street. At some point, the boy's Circumstances become a Crisis for the adults. They are compelled to make a Judgment and so take Action to save the boy from harm. Circumstances of imminent danger always constitute a Crisis, and in this case, from the adults' point of view, it was a Problem they could Solve. Here is a more complex case - Hostile military Events are enormously important parts of one's Circumstances, even though they may happen far away. They are Situations to which one must Attend. They may become a Crisis close at hand. But what do you do - exactly? The Crises, once upon you, may become a disaster to which you may have no other option but to surrender. For example, in 1861 in America, once the newly formed Confederacy began to blockade Ft. Sumter months before the bombardment, everyone involved, North and South, were in a state of Crisis. What should Lincoln do? What should Davis do? Could Davis back down? Could Lincoln? A Crisis can become a mess of unknown and unknowable possibilities. In the years leading up to the Civil War, however, before there was a Crisis, people commonly used the word "situation" in their everyday speech precisely to refer to the disturbing direction of current events. "What are we going to do about the situation," they asked one another. Was it a Problem, a Condition, or like the boy turning back toward the picnic, a Situation that would simply go away? Argument <-- Georgia 12-point bold, underlined font. A Special Term entry may have an argument. An argument argues a Proposition using the Special Term. In other words, it applies the Special Term and its definition to some Aspect of Reality.

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Subordinate of: Circumstances

Related terms: Circumstances | Desirable, Undesirable | Risk | Surrender | Judgement

Neighbor Special Terms: Oral Circumstances | Technological Circumstances | Context