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On the nature of the Dynamic
Jun. 3rd, 2003 10:53 amIn my life I've seen a number of people change and grow, most notably my family. My parents have visibly aged, as has my sibling. As have I. And yet when I look at Dad sometimes I still expect to see the face he wore twenty years ago - more energetic, more hair. The last couple of years I've been looking at Dad and seeing how old he is. He's in great shape for his age but he's definitely old.
Most people have expectations of things staying the same, being static. They go to McDonald's because they know what they'll be getting in their burger. They socialize with their friends because they know it will be a reasonably good time. A minor change is a cause for conversation but a major change is a cause for concern.
And yet life is dynamic, full of changes both minor and major. Children being born, going to school, leaving home, changing careers, getting fired, retiring, dying, all are major dynamic changes in somebody's life. For all that life is constantly changing, many people seem to be surprised that life can change, let alone that life does change.
Not all changes are progress. Some are destructive.
Some changes can be hard to accept. It's hard to accept a friend turning on you. It's hard to accept someone you love getting hurt or killed. It's hard to accept your home burning down. It's a lot easier to deal with getting a promotion to a job you like better with a raise than it is to get fired.
In the USA the closest there is to a static society is the Amish. The fabric of how they live does not change from year to year - they plant, grow, harvest, raise barns, birth babies, cook, clean, craft, churn butter, bury their dead, watch the world and sometimes sleep, to name many things they do. Inside that fabric, though, many things are dynamic - the births, the deaths, the barn-raisings, the weather, the condition of the crops to name several. They know those changes can and will happen.
Things change. The few people who were babies a hundred years ago who still live are all very very old. The automobile has gotten faster and safer and more and more like a cramped bedroom. The word "gay" has changed from primarily meaning "happy" to primarily meaning "homosexual". $8,000 used to be a very good living, now it's under the poverty line. Republicans used to be more concerned about fiscal discipline, now they're more concerned about more money for rich people at whatever cost.
Change happens. Some changes are bad, some are good, but changes will continue to happen. It's OK to be surprised about the timing and the type, changes can come out of nowhere. It's OK to be surprised how things change. It's OK to make some of your own changes, within reason. Just don't be surprised that changes happen.
Most people have expectations of things staying the same, being static. They go to McDonald's because they know what they'll be getting in their burger. They socialize with their friends because they know it will be a reasonably good time. A minor change is a cause for conversation but a major change is a cause for concern.
And yet life is dynamic, full of changes both minor and major. Children being born, going to school, leaving home, changing careers, getting fired, retiring, dying, all are major dynamic changes in somebody's life. For all that life is constantly changing, many people seem to be surprised that life can change, let alone that life does change.
Not all changes are progress. Some are destructive.
Some changes can be hard to accept. It's hard to accept a friend turning on you. It's hard to accept someone you love getting hurt or killed. It's hard to accept your home burning down. It's a lot easier to deal with getting a promotion to a job you like better with a raise than it is to get fired.
In the USA the closest there is to a static society is the Amish. The fabric of how they live does not change from year to year - they plant, grow, harvest, raise barns, birth babies, cook, clean, craft, churn butter, bury their dead, watch the world and sometimes sleep, to name many things they do. Inside that fabric, though, many things are dynamic - the births, the deaths, the barn-raisings, the weather, the condition of the crops to name several. They know those changes can and will happen.
Things change. The few people who were babies a hundred years ago who still live are all very very old. The automobile has gotten faster and safer and more and more like a cramped bedroom. The word "gay" has changed from primarily meaning "happy" to primarily meaning "homosexual". $8,000 used to be a very good living, now it's under the poverty line. Republicans used to be more concerned about fiscal discipline, now they're more concerned about more money for rich people at whatever cost.
Change happens. Some changes are bad, some are good, but changes will continue to happen. It's OK to be surprised about the timing and the type, changes can come out of nowhere. It's OK to be surprised how things change. It's OK to make some of your own changes, within reason. Just don't be surprised that changes happen.
