Insights from verto360
Chinese Farmer: A Perspective on Anxiety and Uncertainty
Andrew Lutowicz, President, Verto360
February 17, 2025
Well, here we are — knee-deep in uncertainty. Pending tariffs, two elections, AI advancements, fires, floods — a world seemingly spinning off its axis.
In times like these, it’s tempting to label events as good or bad, in an attempt to make sense of all the chaos. A natural human response. But often, doing so only fuels more anxiety.
We’ve all faced crises in business and life. Looking back, I’m always struck by how the actual outcomes rarely match what I — or the so-called experts — predicted. Which begs the question: why do we judge? Why do we worry?
Years ago, when Verto360 was facing an existential crisis, I needed a way to inspire our team. To be creative, we need to access our prefrontal cortex, but anxiety traps us in the amygdala—the lizard brain—where survival mode takes over. If my team was consumed with worry about their bonuses, raises, or even keeping their jobs, how could they ever really innovate?
That’s when I turned to Alan Watts, the British-American philosopher and storyteller. My partner had introduced me to his work through old recordings, and one story stood out: The Chinese Farmer.
It’s simple, relatable, and, in my view, made for times like these. In less than two minutes, it permanently shifted our team’s collective mindset. If you haven’t heard it, here’s the link.
Once this philosophy took root, it became part of our intersubjective language. Now, when something unexpected happens, someone inevitably says, “Chinese farmer” in a meeting, and we all get it. We smile, take a breath, and move forward. And we’re much less likely to get stuck in our lizard brains.
With so much swirling around us, anxiety is understandable — not just for ourselves, but for our teams and loved ones. And while it’s perfectly reasonable to be concerned about these events, I wanted to share this perspective in case it’s helpful.