Change must be pursued: An invitation to the process

I invite you to join the discussion on change.

“If you’re in a bad situation, don’t worry it’ll change. If you’re in a good situation, don’t worry it’ll change.” – John A. Simone, Sr.

As broad and as wide as it sounds, we can still effectively discuss this everyday experience. Change is change. I am tempted to conclude that change is inevitable, but I know that somebody will arguably whisper that a vending machine is the exception. We are not guaranteed our change. That is why we must step in and play our part.

In every part of the world, living beings experience change. This can either be positive or negative, sanctioned or a natural phenomenon, among other circumstances. It is said that the only constant in this life is change. It will always happen, one way or the other; change will constantly occur. Many times communities faced with social injustices, unpalatable experiences, have endeavored change as a response. Change can also be automatic, for example, we expect light to come after darkness, happiness to follow sadness, and recovery after an illness. However, at times, it has taken a person to influence change. Desirable change needs the deliberate efforts from those in need of change.

It is not an abstract construct of society; rather, according to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, it is “the act, process, or result of making (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone.”

From immemorial times, the search for change has constantly come from dissatisfaction with the status quo. Sometimes one just wants to try something new or different. In nature, change is said to be good to sustain life, for example, a seed must die to bring about new life, and weather changes support survival of some living things. Change also brings a sense of balance and fairness, such as in a game of football where teams switch goal posts after a defined duration of play.

As to how much change is needed, it is just a function of time and purpose. There must be a specific motivation (reason/need) that stimulates people to seek change, and just as with all thriving beings, when the need is achieved it stops being a motivator. Eventually it takes a new motivation to call for fresh change. So one cannot stop change, it can only be delayed but it always occurs. Depending on which side of the bargain you are on, change can be defined as bad and unacceptable, or as good and worthwhile.

There are many reasons for us in the global health and social justice movement to embrace change, facilitate change and most importantly make change.

In this endeavor, there are times where one must change or the circumstances have to change, and there are times where we have to change along with the transformation we are facilitating. We must be the change we want to see. To pursue (read create) trans-formative change, leadership is needed more than authority. With good leadership, comes the ability to influence others. But how can we influence others to join this movement if we do not understand the importance of why we are lobbying for change? Reflecting on this topic, I came across Allan Karl’s perception on why we all should be yearning to pursue change:

1. Without change, things stay the same and ultimately will stagnate and die.
2. Most people are afraid of change because it forces them outside their comfort zone. (go there it’s not that uncomfortable)
3. Without change there is no adventure in life.
4. It takes much more energy and effort to resist change than it does to accept it.
5. It’s much easier to embrace change than to fight it.
6. Since most will resist change, successful people will use this fact to their advantage.
7. Change is learning. Learning is growing. Growing is living. So live.
8. When you complain about change, the energy you’re wasting will turn you into a curmudgeon. (Is that what you want to be?)
9. Change is opportunity.
10. Status quo is boring and gets you nowhere.
11. Change is exciting and forces you to move.
12. Change can be scary and uncomfortable only when you look at it that way.
13. Fear of change is a feeling you can change.
14. It’s okay to change your feelings.
15. People resist change because it brings feelings of fear of the unknown.
16. The unknown will be uncomfortable unless you shift your position.
17. Change is a harbinger of possibilities.
18. Everything must change.
19. When we change we adapt and move forward, when we don’t we move backward.
20. The weather will change, so don’t worry about it and stop talking about it!

It should be observed that indeed change is there amidst us, it is the sole reason we are establishing interventions. It is because we appreciate the need for change that today we talk of advocacy, support, and capacity building. We have come to realize and accept that change is inevitable but desirable change needs to be pursued. Communities have to be empowered to control change around them. Communities need to be empowered to control environmental degradation and climate change, for example, the regular flooding occurrences in Malawi. Because we expect things to change, coping mechanisms can be developed beforehand. We miss an opportunity to learn and grow by ignoring that change has/will come. It becomes costly when a reactionary approach is employed.

We inevitably face change in our jobs, global climate, travel schedules, time zones as we travel, love and develop relationships. It must be painful to be hired based on defined job terms as deliverables only to end up doing different work in our role. We are only doing ourselves justice by accepting that change has happened. We do even more justice by embracing the situation in order to get the best out of it. As we work in various networks and movements on bringing or facilitating change we also must appreciate that communities are already undergoing change. It is from this understanding that we put deliberate efforts to make our proposed changes worth pursuing. To make it sustainable and meaningful the target beneficiaries need to be included in the process. It is an interesting and fulfilling experience to participate in bringing about their own change, whether that be in their quality of health, education, or other public resources.

Therefore, what we ought to be doing now is to invite more participants to join the movement of change. As Ellen Glasgow phrased it, all change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. It is our deliberate pursuance for change that helps us focus the direction towards the most desirable changes.