It is easy to think of change as growth or improvement. Conscious, deliberate, thought-out change may well be improvement toward a given goal. However, if the context or conditions change drastically, what was an improvement could be a deficiency or liability. Sometimes, the general success (so far) of humans is attributed to their flexibility, their ability to modify under changed conditions.
The well-known illustration of the evolution of humans shows what is easy to read as a progress from inferior or limited up to superior, maybe even perfected. Yet, in truth, the ape may well have been closer to optimal for some conditions and some tasks and challenges.
We like to think that "every cloud has a silver lining" or that there is some good to be found in every event and every tragedy or loss. I think but I'm not sure that most of the time, we can find some advantage in what seem to be negative events, failures, and shortcomings. Even if we have to wait for years or several generations to see an effect of one difficulty or error or another, we can usually find something positive. In thinking about ways to improve education and instruction, I was struck by the occasional student who said he wanted to be a teacher because he had a teacher who was so inferior or nasty or disorganized that the student wanted to do the job properly himself. Thus, I saw that negative examples inspire, too.
There are textbooks, courses, associations and fashions in manufacturing and organizational studies and efforts that go by the name of "continuous improvement". Even some exhortations and prayers ask us to strive to be better. Careful analysis of processes in instruction, sales, making autos or computers or whatever does indeed lower costs, increase speed of production, decrease waste, etc. What seems to be progress toward a goal is often just that, actual improvement. However, in a time of vigorous change and innovation, it can help us to keep our feet on the ground and maintain a good perspective if we keep the idea that progression toward a goal is relative, not absolute.
I imagine the manufacturers of buggy whips were as surprised as the manufacturers of video cassettes when despite the careful progress and hard work, the goals changed, wiping out the relevance of a goal.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
