One Apple A Day #676 - spread the change
From the way this virus is spreading, I feel we can learn some lessons on how we can create change in any system.
Homeostasis is the natural tendency of an organism to keep its stable condition and environment. It's a tendency that applies to any system in our lives. Our inner beliefs, habits and environment, they all work together to create and keep our life stable and steady. Any time we try to change a system, those same forces that have established the current equilibrium will fight back to keep as it is.
The more we push to change the system, the more those forces will pull in the opposite direction.
It's similar to what happens when we pull an elastic band. If we use a lot of force to pull it quickly, we will meet a lot of resistance, and it will be hard to keep the new shape. We will likely have to are to release the band and let it slide back to its natural status.
This virus is showing us a different approach to change. It is not so aggressive to trigger all our defences. At the contrary, in the beginning, it went mostly unnoticed. Our systems didn't react immediately, so it had the time to spread and compound. When we became aware of it, it was already everywhere.
If we want to change something in our lives, in our organisations or communities, rather than go head-on, we may try a more subtle approach. One based on small but consistent daily improvement that compounds to create the change we want.