I am reading a riveting memoir by Binyavanga Wainaina, One Day I Will Write About This Place. It is a coming-of-age story that chronicles his life growing up in East Africa (on the heels of Jomo Kenyatta’s death) and South Africa (on the heels of apartheid). Mr. Wainaina writes like a visual artist, painting a vivid, colorful collage of words that describe not only what is going on around him (politically and socially) and within him (as he searches for his identity), but that connect the dots of how the worlds “outside” and “inside” collide.
Based on the above, you may be preparing yourself for a book review. It is not; I still have more than 200 pages before I reach the book’s conclusion. Instead, this is me inviting you to take a journey with me as I share how a sentence in a memoir brought about thoughts regarding our economy and current political climate. Here’s the sentence that stopped me in my tracks, prompting me to draw seemingly unlikely connections. At this point in the book, Mandela is now president of South Africa, but the change is not welcomed by all.
“What if change comes and we find ourselves unable?”
When I read that sentence this morning during my subway ride, my first thought was, “Wow!” Immediately followed by thoughts of Greece, what I call the “austerity” movement, and the 2012 presidential election season here in the U.S.
And then, of course, I thought of you and me and how we:
- respond (or don’t) to change, and
- what does stimulus or austerity look like on a personal level.
You hear the adage all the time, “the only thing that is constant is change.” Yet, how often do you truly embrace change; how often do you resist it; how often do you wish “reality” was anything but?
Regardless of your political leanings or economic philosophy, there is no escaping the fact that something needs to change. In fact, this is just what the G-20 were discussing earlier this week: What is the best way to bring about global financial stability and fuel global economic growth; is it by way of more stimulus programs or austerity initiatives?
Clearly, the verdict and consequences thereof are still out, but there is also no escaping the fact that what happens across town affects your prosperity just as much as what happens across the Atlantic Ocean. In theory, you know this; in practice, the question becomes what should be given up, by whom and to what degree?
In my opinion, we are looking for a neat, singular, sound-bite answer. Which is pretty tough given that for probably the first time in our our history, we have to take into account the ripple effects of any decision upon four generations!
So, back to the sentence that inspired today’s post…”What if change comes and we find ourselves unable?”
A poignant question, no doubt. Easier to ask and reflect upon when you are looking back on history. But how about when you are living in the moment of history? It seems that evaluating your relationship to change is particularly acute when you find yourself unable to change.
What do you think? Leave a comment in the comment section!
Change? We do need change. I think in Western culture, we are “able” for the right kind of change. Historically speaking, the rise of the West can be attributed to the rise of the populous–education, property ownership, etc. The fall of Rome can be attributed to the rise of the aristocracy the fall of the plebeians. Change for the better trickles up and not down.
Dan, I love your comment, “change for the better trickles up…” What a wonderful reminder to question whether our actions are for the greater good or a small few. Thanks for posting!
This line is very thought-provoking indeed. We have to be comfortable with change because it just how we live a life. Easier said than done, I know. Reminds me of quote “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change.”
Change is inevitable and we must adjust ourselves to it. We must believe in changing ourselves first before hoping for everything else to change.
I guess it depends on the change for me. If it is something I want or desire then I embrace it. But if it is something difficult I think resistance is natural. There’s a great deal of fear and anxiety surrounding change. We want I have control over outcomes, yet we don’t realize that true power comes through acceptance.