The permanence of change
The writer is a freelancer based in Kandhkot, Sindh. He can be reached at alihassanb.34@gmail.com
That nothing is permanent in this world and change is the only permanent law has perplexed human judgment for ages. That the cosmic, biological, social, political, economic and religious systems of antiquity have traversed time, evolved into their present forms, and are destined to transform into unimaginable configurations in the distant future is something undeniable today. And that regardless of our wishes or inactions, we will hardly find ourselves and our surroundings the same in the years to come is something worth acknowledging for good reasons. Nevertheless, they aren’t necessarily always positive; the changes, at the same time, carry with them the possibility of both beneficial and adverse outcomes. It’s how they are cultivated that defines their peculiar nature.
As an ubiquitous dynamic, change is both the cause and manifestation of daily activities. It exists within and beyond us, encompassing physical and biochemical changes in humans — both growth and gerontological shifts — the erosion of mountains and material things, and the transformation of physical elements, including day and night, and seasons, to name a few.
Change is the dance of nature, humans and societies with infinity and points towards the inexhaustible possibilities existing in the boundless bounds of the cosmos. As a consistent factor, changes in individual, social, cultural and psychological domains, among others, are rarely radical; instead, they are often an extension of existing things, practices and rules. This stability points towards innate natural forces and the dynamism of both natural and human agency. In this way, traces of stability in change guard humans from totally unpredictable and unforeseen risks. Nevertheless, revolutionary changes are radical, however unsustainable or fraught with potent risks. Regardless of speed, the permanence of change makes stability impermanent and subjects it to consistent transmutations.
Though much ink has been spilled about the inevitability of change at all levels, the operational variations and driving forces of the transformation have received relatively little attention. In other words, what are the factors that cause the changes? Is it a natural force beyond human control or human agency beyond nature’s control? Or is it both or somewhere in between, with varying proportions in each instance?
The drivers of change can be classified into two categories: push and pull factors. The former include historical, geographical, topographical and climatic factors and are mainly innate or largely unaffected by societal forces. They push things and people to change. The pull factors, on the other hand, are rooted in anthropogenic sources and include, but are not limited to, socioeconomic, political, cultural and psychological developments, necessity, learning and the inherent human quest for novelty. The push factors exert more influence on the pull factors to change than the other way around. The resultant outcomes, along with the need for unlearning and relearning, bring societies into relatively newer experiences.
Initially, push factors predominantly drove human lives, perhaps because human agency was not as organised and developed. Over time, humans began to understand the forces of nature and, to a large extent, direct them in potentially advantageous ways, if not control them altogether. The considerable reduction in the costs of life and property from natural catastrophes, such as pandemics or earthquakes, testifies to this.
What causes the differential speed of changes in things? It is the relative intensity, composition, or, more appropriately, the strength of the driver of change and those of the barriers that determine momentum of change. How do we cultivate change for good? Guiding the changes within the scope of human control while entrusting the rest to broader social or natural forces largely leads to positive outcomes. Conversely, resisting changes altogether or allowing them to entirely follow their own course inevitably steers us toward stagnation, degeneration and ultimate irrelevance.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 28th, 2024.
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