The prospect of change, the appearance of change can bring on many different reactions in people. Two “changes” this month illustrate the negative part of many peoples reaction to change. But first, a brief video posted by ragokin on YouTube …
Two popular social media sites have, or are, introducing changes to their sites and how people can be members and post. One is YouTube and one is Flickr. In both cases some (and in the case of Flickr) apparently many “members” have reacted with horror, disgust, insults, threats to leave … And what did Flickr actually do … they had the audacity to change how the site appears without first asking the “permission” of the members … many of whom paid nothing to join and others who pay about $25 per year! The new look for Flickr can be seen here …
and here
In my opinion the new format highlights the photos being shown. But, as with all changes, you do need to take some time to explore and find how everything works in the new format. Many people on Flickr, and in similar circumstances in life, are unwilling to take the time. They seem to prefer to spend more time criticizing the change, the people doing the change (ie. they are morons or idiots, should be fired, don’t understand real life, etc). In reality, in the case of Flickr, everything you could do before … you can do now … just in a slightly different way. Another criticism is that “they” are making it (read YouTube or Flickr or Facebook or Google …) more corporate … as though these entities aren’t business endeavours. If you want to use social media such as these or others than someone has to pay a price … either as a membership fee or seeing ads on pages, etc. This is life in the real world … get over it.
Change occurs in life from the day that you are born. Some change is slow and you don’t even realize something has changed until long after the start of the change … other change is, or at least seems to be, instantaneous … this kind of change can be a shock but, as long as you accept the fact that change does occur and that change is not necessarily bad, then you can and should adapt to it. While change in recent years seems great and fast and at times overwhelming, think for a moment about a person born, for example, in 1920 … prior to 1920 the only forms of long distance communication was Morse Code, the telegraph and newspapers … no radio … no television … no iPhone or iPad … no home phone or wireless home phone … communication is only one area. Think about how transportation has changed from horse, horse and buggy, automobiles, sailing ships to steam/diesel powered ships, planes and spacecraft. Or in your home … no refrigeration (ice was delivered to your home), milk was delivered by horse and cart, no ready made foods, coal or wood burning fireplaces or furnaces, no central heating … the list is endless.
But, our grand parents and parents learned to adapt … not instantaneously … not overnight … but over a period of time. Too often today because we are used to “instantaneous” communication and knowledge, we think that change is difficult if it takes more than one or two seconds … not minutes or hour or days or weeks or months or even years. We want immediate results but results take work and time.
As John F Kennedy said … Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.
Instead of dreading or resisting change … live life … look forward to new opportunities … new changes. Learn to adapt … take the time to adapt … to breathe … to rest … and then to continue on your journey whether it be a new job, a new home, a new partner, a new hobby or a new adventure. Life is too short to be bitter or resentful or full of your own ego.
Rick Horne 