Human First, AI Forward Series
Post 3: When Life Isn’t Linear
How to think recursively, not just in straight lines
We’re often taught to move step by step: finish school, get the job, hit the milestones. But most of us know that life rarely moves in a straight line.
Plans shift. People change. We change. What worked before doesn’t always work now.
That’s where recursive thinking comes in. Instead of pushing forward no matter what, you pause, reflect, adjust, and move again—building clarity with each round.
Six ways to work recursively
Pause on purpose
Check in with where you are—not just what’s next.Notice patterns
Repeating issues or insights usually have something to teach.Make updates midstream
You don’t need to start over to change direction.Return to what matters
Values, relationships, intentions—they’re worth revisiting.Expect variation
Cycles don’t mean repetition. Each round brings new perspective.Build in layers
Small passes deepen understanding. You’re not going in circles. You’re spiraling inward and upward.
Recursive thinking helps us stay adaptive, grounded, and aligned. This is especially important when life doesn’t go as planned.
In a world shaped by linear inputs and extractive logic, recursion isn’t just a more elegant process—it’s a survival strategy. Linear thinking fractures under complexity. Recursive systems adapt, evolve, and remember through structure, signal, and feedback.
The shift from linear to recursive intelligence marks a civilizational inflection point: from controlling systems to participating in them.
I've produced a lot of stage productions and one thing I would always tell my students - because they would always assemble in a straight line (thank you, kindergarten teachers) - is "there are no straight lines in Nature." So if it's totally linear...it might be good to take a step back and re-think.
I always say healing, growth is a spiral… recursive thinking is the way to think of it, do not expect linear progress and leverage recursive thinking to catapult your growth when you reach that next turn on the spiral. If you know it’s coming you can use it rather than feeling as if you’ve moved backwards.