Thursday March 26, 2015 #711
“I can’t understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”
~John Cage
We live in a time of accelerating change which, because of most people’s abject fear of change, creates anxiety and bad behavior. Often this translates into closed communities of like-minded folks who fight to keep their way of thinking unchanged. This is most obvious with religion and ethnicity but also is seen in corporate silos and even family factions. This can lead to xenophobia, prejudice and discrimination.
In my view, other than core ethical areas such as honesty and human kindness, we are at our best when we allow our beliefs to evolve. When confronted with differing views, rather than finding fault, seek to understand. You do not need to adopt the other viewpoint, but neither do you need to be afraid of it or fight against it.
Change is the only constant – learn, understand, evolve.