It’s all about safety!

Everyone can point out several moments in history that were characterized by important changes in individuals, society and the world. Take, for instance, the industrial revolution. For those who lived during that period everything seemed to change faster than they could keep up with… changing from the country side to cities, from the fields to industrial plants, from the fresh air to pollution…

There’s no doubt that many mistakes were made and that many people suffered from the side effects of change… but yet the society survived and the world (although we still suffer from the increase in pollution) also survived.

This leads us to today’s issue: Given this previous experience with change, why is our society so worried about its effects? In my opinion, it’s clear that change is now faster than it was in the industrial revolution (so is our society in general)… But aren’t we better prepared for it? Are we not aware of the existence of negative side effects? Aren’t our governments and NGOs making important efforts to help the “change-excluded” people?

The main point, as I see the problem, is that one of the basic needs of an individual nowadays (take, for instance, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and given that the basic needs such as food and shelter – physiological needs – are provided) has to do with safety.

Safety is, without a shadow of doubt, the core of the problem. Change is affecting safety in many different ways. For instance, we no longer expect to have the same job forever and we worry more than ever about security (ourself, our family and property).

In conclusion, it’s my believe that change is raising this much discussion and concern because no one knows exactly what’s going to happen in the future and, for the time being, the predominant feeling is of deep concern, fear and anxiety about the future.

Ricardo