Orderly Chaos and Chaotic Order

Welkommen Vietnam.

Being a first timer in Vietnam is really exhilarating. One should try crossing the street. It is a marvelous experience. One cannot but notice and appreciate the fact that whatever the traffic looks like, there is no collision.

It reminds me of how a university functions.

The traffic is self-policing, autonomous, so to say. Generally, the traffic does not run the red lights. When it turns green, there is an exodus of vehicles, especially motorcycles. The majority of the people use the proper lanes. The intersection or junction is the best place to sit and watch traffic.

One can see the weaving in and out of the motorcycles, very much like the weaving of good vietnamese silk. It looks very chaotic; it is chaotic. But, it is orderly.

In the university, management sometimes look chaotic; especially when there is no clear direction as to where it is heading. That is where planning and consultation are to be done cohesively. Only when the general populace understand the rationale behind the directives, can the plan be carried out in an orderly fashion.