“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”—Sir Winston Churchill
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In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown asked Linus: “Perhaps you can give me an answer. What would you do if you felt that no one liked you?”
Linus replied, “I’d try to look at myself objectively, and see what I could do to improve. That’s my answer, Charlie Brown.”
Hearing the answer, Charlie answered, “I hate that answer!”
Numerous factors contribute to the reluctance to embrace change, a sentiment shared by many, including Charlie Brown. Indeed, resistance to change is a common human experience. Consider the case of Galileo: using his telescope, he validated Copernicus’s theory that the Earth is not the center of the universe, but rather that the Earth and other planets orbit the sun. However, his attempts to alter public perception led to his imprisonment, and he ultimately spent the remainder of his life under house arrest.
King Whitney Jr. surmised: “Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful, it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful, it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident, it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.”
During a lecture in high school, my science teacher imparted a memorable lesson: “The only constant in this world is change.” This statement resonated with me deeply, as I was inexperienced and unaware of the world around me. Today, I have traveled to countries I once thought were beyond my reach, and these experiences have profoundly transformed my perspective.
How true were the words of Philip Crosby. He said, “If anything is certain, it is that change is certain. The world we are planning for today will not exist in this form tomorrow.” The beautiful flower you see today will wilt tomorrow. It may be sunny in the morning but sudden rain may pour in the afternoon.
If you’re a teenager today, you may be thirtysomething years later. “We did not change as we grew older; we just became more clearly ourselves,” penned Lynn Hall in Where Have All the Tigers Gone? Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was even more apt: “The universe is changing; our life is what our thoughts make it.”
There is only one thing that never changes: your picture. Listen to the explanation of Albert Einstein: “A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years, but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of a mother or a father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them. But as people live on, they change completely.”
“In a progressive country change is constant, change is inevitable,” said British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
In the Netherlands, two sizable windmills were situated on the same dike, where they ground grain into flour. They had become iconic elements of the landscape, and their operation was an integral part of daily life. However, the introduction of electricity to the area posed a challenge, as it could grind grain more finely, economically, and rapidly.
The advent of modern technology threatened the viability of the two windmills, prompting distinct responses from each. The first windmill underwent a complete renovation, replacing its traditional water wheel with an electric motor. It was equipped with the latest grinding machinery, allowing it to continue its function of processing grain.
Conversely, the second windmill remained unchanged. It ceased grain grinding, deeming it unprofitable, but continued to turn in order to draw in paying tourists.
The owner of the first windmill faced a difficult decision when he replaced his time-honored equipment with modern technology. Nevertheless, he found solace in the fact that his mill continued to fulfill its original purpose.
In contrast, the second windmill continued to rotate without any productive output, having abandoned its grain grinding duties. While it appeared to be engaged in its traditional role, it was merely catering to the curiosity of visitors.
“Any institution which cannot adjust, cannot change appropriately with the changing times, is going to end up as a tourist attraction,” Lutz Hoffman concluded the anecdote.
Are you thinking of not changing anything about yourself? You might end up as a tourist attraction. “If you don’t like something, change it,” Maya Angelou urges. “If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”
Again, in a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy told Charlie Brown as both were leaning against a fence: “I would like to change the world.” Charlie Brown asked, “Where would you start?” Her reply was: “I would start with you.”
“Only I can change my life,” says Hollywood comedian Carol Burnett. “No one can change it for me.” Emma Bunton has a different view: “You can’t change who you are, but you can surely make the best of it. And if you’ve got a thought, act on it.”
In other words, if you have to change, be sure to change for the better. Remember what Joel Barker says before: “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”
Want to change the world? “Change your thoughts and you change the world,” suggests Norman Vincent Peale. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi believes.
But American singer Anita Bryant said it all when she declared: “The only way to change the world is to change people; the only way to change people is to change their hearts, and only Christ can change hearts.”
