The Ultimate Driver of Change

There are 3 ways to cope change as discussed in class as quoted by our Prof, namely:

• Making it happen.
• Respond when it happens.
• Be surprised.

Firstly “making it happen” is to lead the change, where leaders of tomorrow revolutionize the world we live in by bring change. Then there is those who “respond when it happens”, being the reactive ones. Finally for those who are surprised are the ones who don’t really care much about the changes in the world.

However I think there is another class of people, who falls in between the “Making it happen” and “Respond when it happens”, and they are the “I think this is going to happen”. I believe that there are people who embrace technology, keeping themselves open and constantly updating themselves about the changes in the world. Although they are proactive, they don’t lead the change and neither is they reactive and waits for things to happen. An example I can think of is people who are in the Green movement, where Global Warming is going to cause some damage to earth and they are taking the green approach before real damage is done. Yet they don’t lead any changes, just their own lifestyle.

It is interesting that the bubonic plague has cause people to turn to religion. I suppose when education and medical science are not so advance, people will turn to the next best thing that explains their situation. Human beings love to be in control, they want to know that they are able to explain things and either say it’s the wrath of god or there are witches amongst them. Science is the religion of today, even though people don’t really see it as a religion. It is the worship of modern marvels, and from science people can have many returns. It also seeks to explain the origin of the universe, and the way of life. By 1918, the Spanish flu claimed more than 50 million lives; hospitals and clinics rush to find a cure. It is then prayers gives way to modern medication where the world has changed after the age of enlightenment. 

When the class was having our guest lectures on drivers of change, I find that trade is more of a driver than water. Although it is true that water brings life and aids in the movement and transportation of human, trade drove those human to move. Water is merely just a medium, where trade drove people to travel far and wide in search of rare item from different world. If that is true, the true driver of the world is money. The desire to make more money drove people to search different places, so that they are powerful in their own homeland. That brings us back to dominance. To feel powerful and to have more purchasing power over your neighbours, you wage war and conquer their lands. You compete with them in the arms race. Ultimately, the drive of change boils down to one need, dominance. I believe that change is spurred by an individual idea, which is empowered by an organization.