Tradition and Change

By on May 14th, 2009

There are two quotations courtesy of Despair Inc. which are the topic of this article:

Tradition: Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly stupid.

Change: When the winds of change blow hard enough, the most trivial of things can turn into deadly projectiles.

Both quotations are part of a series of posters I tend to call de-motivational posters. However, there is some truth in these statements, cynical though they may be. While my perspective is likely skewed on account of my cynical sense of humour, I would like to explain why I would seriously consider hanging both of these posters in a meeting room.

The two statements seemingly contradict one another. The first, regarding tradition, promotes progressive thinking and a willingness to embrace change. It encourages the reader to reflect on why things are done a certain way, and to think if it is possibly a stupid thing to be doing, or if it can be done better.

The second, regarding change, is quite the opposite. Change can bring disaster, destroy stability. According to this saying, it can be dangerous to change, and the risk is high.

In truth, the two statements temper one another. A person must reflect on what they do to determine if tradition, which is the status quo, is really the best way to do something, but at the same time, be wary of the potential scope of change and the destruction it can bring. Finding that balance between sticking to the tried-and-true methods and putting forward some risk in accepting change is what will make the difference between surviving and realizing your true potential.

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  3. The Customer is Always Right… Sometimes
  4. Hiring Without Cultural Change
  5. Goals for 2011
Categorized under: Advice for Small Business Owners, Motivation.
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  • sol

    Y’know, if you’re going to reference a visual joke (and these posters make a LOT more sense when you can see them), at least post a link to it.

    For anyone who wants to see teh funneez:

    http://despair.com/tradition.html
    http://despair.com/changewinds.html

    …and regarding these two posters, you should buy them both then put them up on the wall beside each other and meditate facing them both.

  • sol

    Y’know, if you’re going to reference a visual joke (and these posters make a LOT more sense when you can see them), at least post a link to it.

    For anyone who wants to see teh funneez:

    http://despair.com/tradition.html
    http://despair.com/changewinds.html

    …and regarding these two posters, you should buy them both then put them up on the wall beside each other and meditate facing them both.

  • ekochman

    Good point – thanks for posting the links!

  • ekochman

    Good point – thanks for posting the links!

  • http://www.lichtman.ca/ Jeremy Lichtman

    As they say, “Change is good. Dollars are better”.

  • http://www.lichtman.ca Jeremy Lichtman

    As they say, “Change is good. Dollars are better”.

  • sol

    An enlightened monk approaches a hotdog vendor. The vender says “Whaddaya want?” and the monk responds “make me one with everything”.

    The vendor gives the hotdog to the monk and says “That’ll be $3″. The monk give the vender a $5 bill. The vender takes it and puts it in his pocket. The monk says “What about my change?” and the vendor says “Change comes from within”.

  • sol

    An enlightened monk approaches a hotdog vendor. The vender says “Whaddaya want?” and the monk responds “make me one with everything”.

    The vendor gives the hotdog to the monk and says “That’ll be $3″. The monk give the vender a $5 bill. The vender takes it and puts it in his pocket. The monk says “What about my change?” and the vendor says “Change comes from within”.

  • sol

    correction: “An enlightened monk” should have read as “A monk seeking enlightenment”

  • sol

    correction: “An enlightened monk” should have read as “A monk seeking enlightenment”