Solomon is faculty in the Stanford University’s design school and a creator of civic futures programs like Vote by Design , Building America’s Teammates and The Team .
As we move closer to the election, it’s tempting to oscillate between obsessive news consumption and complete disengagement. Both responses are understandable — they’re deeply rooted in our evolutionary biology.
Our brains are wired for a “fight or flight” response to uncertainty, a mechanism that served our ancestors well when facing immediate physical threats. But in today’s complex and polarized political landscape, this instinctive defensive posture can leave us perpetually anxious and reactive, rather than thoughtfully prepared.
As someone who has spent over two decades helping leaders and students learn to navigate complexity and envision multiple futures, I’ve seen firsthand how the right tools can transform anxiety about the unknown into constructive action. Through my work with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to emerging democracy reform nonprofits I’ve found that scenario planning offers something uniquely valuable: a way to engage with uncertainty that neither minimizes its significance nor leaves us paralyzed by it.