Breaking free from old traditions: The power to change in a time of crisis

Have you ever had to send something by snail mail, or found yourself standing in a long ques just to do 5 minutes worth of work? Have you wondered if there was not a better system or way to do things, asking yourself why do we still follow old routines when we have much more advanced technology? This is explained by the principle of inertia, that each object has a natural resistance to movement, in society each of our traditions and cultural systems has a particular inertia that requires a certain amount of force to begin to change, without this force the system continues at a state of motion or rest until acted upon which is Newtons first law of motion.

We experience this desire to change because nobody in that area has taken the time or energy to create a force strong enough to change the existing system which has meant that it continues to stand.

In the case of society we see that bureaucracy, policy and tradition have its own weight which makes them hard to change. We can say comfortably that unless an external force acts on these systems that they will continue to work as they are, it is clear that no internal force is strong enough to change the system, the system needs a strong enough force acting on the collective in order for it to grow past any given particular point or to change. This external force can either be a new innovative use of technology which is something relatively positive or it can be something as negative as a ‘crisis’.

The disruptive nature of a crisis is most important in this regard as it becomes an opportunity to reset the system without changing it drastically, for to be sure people naturally resist change because it brings the unknown, yet a crisis forces change. It is important to realise the opportunity of a crisis, the status quo needs to be disrupted so that things can move along in a positive manner.

How does this affect your daily walk to the bank, or to the post office (cringe)?Well, crisis and competition are two things that will change this walk to the bank into a simplified and streamlined experience through online banking and email has long since overtaken post even though post still exists.

We need to be aware that customs, cultures and traditions do not change automatically, they change because there was a force working on them strong enough to overcome peoples love of tradition and comfort in their old ways with something new and more powerful.

That force is the positive action you and I can take towards personal growth each day. Moreover, even negative events provide opportunities for positive opportunities if we choose to see them.

Photo by Balram Swain from Pexels