When I worked as management consultant, change management was a hot topic – it probably still is. I remember lots of clever people agonising over how to get employees to accept change in their organisation. The resistance to change usually came from a natural emotional response to being coerced into a logical new world that some bright spark had determined was the way forward. I learnt that people do not respond well to logic when their way of being is threatened – no matter how ‘obvious’ the new paradigm is.
Fast forward ten years and I find myself looking at change from a different angle. It seems to me that our political, economic and social systems are all under significant pressure to the point that they are failing. I don’t know anyone who has a good word to say about our woeful politicians. The economy seems to be being managed for the benefit of the banks and big business and we are being manipulated by governmental behavioural nudge units to be compliant citizens. I don’t know about you, but none of this feels good to me and I wonder how long before we say enough!
To expect these systems to change gently and without any disruption is probably fanciful thinking. I remember the Brexit argument that we could effect change better within the EU than on the outside. Those benefiting from the system and enjoying the power it gave them were never going to change. Major change either comes with a ‘big bang event’ like a revolution, or occasionally a new paradigm is created that simply ignores the established ways and makes them so redundant that people move away. Either way, tinkering with the established norms is a waste of time if significant change is required.
There are times when the only way to progress is to destroy the old to make way for the new. It’s like an old house that has been extended many times. Eventually it is better to knock it down and build a new one. The old and convoluted makes way for the simplicity and effectiveness of the new.
There have been protests about government action all over the world. Consider the Canadian Truckers, the German and Dutch Farmers, the French Yellow Vests, peaceful protests in New Zealand and Australia about government Covid policies. I could go on. What all these protests have in common is a lot of decent people making a big noise for a short period. All were denounced by government and mainstream media and eventually the noise died away. It was like firing a cannon ball at a castle. There was a loud bang followed by the projectile bouncing off the ramparts. There may be a few loose bricks in the wall, but the edifice remained standing. Noisy protest rarely seems to work.
I suspect they don’t work because they haven’t got enough energy to overcome the inertia of the establishment. Imagine a jar full of ball bearings that have settled into a tight knit pattern. Moving one of these balls changes nothing because the rest are not free to change position. Now imagine pouring oil into the jar and heating it up so that the oil boils. The input of energy will lift all the ball bearings and allow them to settle into a new position. It seems therefore that we need both an environment conducive to change (oil) and significant energy (heat) before a desire for change can be implemented.
Environment for change
The stability of the last 50-60 years is disappearing. I suspect significant change is inevitable as the current World order starts to dissolve. People are looking at the world with different eyes. There is far less deference to authority and people are yearning for peace and prosperity – rather than war and corruption. The battle is on to shape what comes next. The World Economic Forum backed up by the WHO have their own views on a dystopian new world order. Spiritually awake people have a very different view based on compassion, kindness, and well-being for all. The numbers of people who believe change is possible and hold a vision of a compassionate world is growing. Those in power know this and are doing their utmost to censor any views that don’t conform to their narrative. If you can sense this, my advice is to stop listening to mainstream media and trust your heart and intuition instead. What is certain is that change is on the way.
Energy
The energy to fuel and sustain change is likely to come from a combination of will power and emotion. The injustices around the world are building into an enormous well of resentment and anger directed towards those in power. Anger is not a high level of emotion, but it can be the catalyst for change. What will sustain the building of a new compassionate world is a determined belief to resist the corrupt and insist on peace and prosperity for all. Many do not believe this is possible but the numbers that do believe are growing. At some point the will to create this vision will be unstoppable.
What Next
I would love to believe in a gentle revolution where without undue angst and violence we step into a new compassionate and fairer world..
Sadly, what seems more and more likely is a period of chaos before we see a change. I can see the ‘Old’ doing whatever they can to cling to power. They will attempt to stop the tide and we all know how Canute got on with that. When the tide comes in it will wash away the old and leave a fresh canvas for us to create the new. The destruction of the old may seem awful and yet it is necessary to dissolve the corrupt influence that it holds over us. The hope and perhaps promise is that if we can see this through (as generations have before us) we can realise a world where all are valued and treated with kindness and compassion.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay