Week 4

Dr. Shahi started the lesson today with this quote by Charles Robert Darvin: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one the one that is most adaptable to change”

I was struck by this quote, because I never taught of change in this way. I have always assumed that the ones who survive are always the fittest and the smartest. But this quote set me thinking. I realized that even if you are the strongest and smartest, if you are rigid and not adaptable to change, you will not be able to survive in this ever-changing world. As the world continues to develop and we continue to come up with new forms of technology, we should be able to adapt the changes brought about by technology. If we insist on sticking to our traditional ways, we will never be able to progress.

I find that this point is linked to another point made in the second half of the lesson, with the quote by Robert F Kennedy: “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly”

This is highly true because if we dare not fail we will not dare to take risks. As the world progresses and new technology is developed, our ways of living change, and hence the way we lead our lives should also change. We should not be sticking to the old mindset of thinking, but instead we should embrace the changes that come along with the new developments to our society. To effectively embrace these changes, we should think deeper and be willing to take risks in order to achieve greater things.

While this might be easy to say, I understand that it is not easy to carry out. Many of us, including myself, are not particularly delighted about change. I find that change disrupts my life, and I personally would like to continue living my life the way I am used to. However, I know that this mindset is not ideal, and I am working on changing my mindset to one that is able to effectively embrace change.

One other major issue that Dr. Shahi touched on in today’s lesson was the two kinds of change – evolutionary and revolutionary. Evolutionary change is change which occurs in small steps, it is the continuous improvement in our lives. On the other hand, revolutionary change is sudden and can be seen as disruptive innovation. I like how the word ‘disruptive’ is used in this context, because it perfectly explains how I feel towards change. I feel that change is disruptive to my life, and if I had the choice, I would like to avoid chance. However, change cannot be avoided. It is everywhere in our lives and is happening all the time.

As much as I dislike change, I concede that certain change can be beneficial to us, and if we are able to manage the change, we would be able to make full use of the change.

This lesson was thought provoking and I would rate it 8/10.

P.S. I would have liked to elaborate more on the issue of journalism and the social media, but as I am doing it for my individual written report, I shall leave my thoughts for the report. 