The Unthinkable May 2026

The Unthinkable: Why We Refuse to Look, and Why We Must

April 17, 2026

You want to say, “I saw this coming. I prepared. Let’s go.” The Unthinkable

We have a strange relationship with the edge of our own imagination.

Great leaders, resilient families, and durable people do something small but radical: they mentally rehearse the unthinkable. The Unthinkable: Why We Refuse to Look, and

That’s not pessimism. That’s the most optimistic thing a person can do: believe they are strong enough to look at the dark, so they can build a light that actually lasts. What’s one “unthinkable” scenario you’ve been avoiding? Not to scare you—but to make you ready. Drop a thought below.

We always wait until we’re standing in the ashes to admit the fire was real. Great leaders, resilient families, and durable people do

That’s the unthinkable. Not the impossible. Not the fantastical. But the deeply, terrifyingly possible scenario we refuse to prepare for. In 2012, most people in Hurricane Sandy’s path thought, “It won’t be that bad.” In 2020, even as ships anchored offshore, business leaders whispered, “Supply chains are resilient.” In 2023, as AI models improved at a startling rate, regulators said, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”