18 September 2014

The only constant in life is Change

18 September 2014
The only constant in life is Change

Change refers to a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time. Although it is a familiar experience, an analysis of change provides subtle problems which have occupied philosophers since the Presocratics. Heraclitus is the first philosopher known to have directly raised such issues, with aphorisms such as “one cannot step into the same river twice”.

Change is to become different to make (someone or something) different to become something else. In today’s world, things change at record speeds making it very difficult for people to catch up with the speed in which the pendulum swings. Unlike 50 years ago, analysts predict that the average life of a corporation will be approximately 5 to 10 years while the average career is roughly 5 years. If we look back a generation, our parents might have worked in the same company for their entire working life. Odds are that today’s average worker will change careers at least 4 or 5 times throughout their work lives. Technology and the speed in which information flows today leaves very little time for us to sit and ponder decisions.

Google and the internet has changes most industries as we know them. Today people spend a lot more time researching on Google than visiting the well educated professionals. It is fairly easy to visit a site like www.legalzoom.com and prepare all of your legal documents and then simply get them notarized by a notary public. Year’s ago this would have required a lawyer and substantial out of pocket cost. Bottom line things get done in record time today compared to 20 years ago. Perfect example, need a degree? Just do it online.

With countries opening their borders for immigration like never before we are also seeing cultural and ethnic changes like never before. Diverse cultural interacting is more and more becoming the new normal. Just look at the average food court today in any major North American city, it’s like visiting an international food fair. What does this all mean for the average person? In my opinion it is that most large cities are mimicking each other and taking the best that each has to offer and making it their own. In 5 years living in Beijing will be just like living in Toronto with just a few cultural differences but the over all experience with be very similar.

With the world population growing at record levels it is clear that the future well the near future anyway is going to be based in the growth of infrastructure. We need somewhere to put these people and something for them all to do when they are not eating and shopping at the mall.

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”
Gail Sheehy

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
John F. Kennedy