Change is constant

Shannon Bohrer

(5/2025) Polling tells us we do not like change, yet change is constant. The changes we experience start early and continue for most of our lives. Many changes seem inconsequential, while others challenge us.

During our early years, we experience many changes that influence our development, often called our formative years. We meet new people attending school, youth clubs, and community events. The early experiences with family, neighbors, and friends do not seem like change, but more like education, socialization, and just growing up. They have the added benefit of introducing values and morals. Our early years become our foundation with experiences and define how we think, how we judge, and who we are. Thus, our early years are a foundation for how we see ourselves.

As we grow, our experiences allow us to learn and question things and events, some of which surprise us. We work and have careers, we develop relationships, most of us marry, and look to the future. We acquire things, books, tools, vehicles, and homes. While our early years revolve around our biological family, we create new families, with in-laws and new friends. Our family and friends grow along with our responsibilities. All these experiences influence us and define how we see our world. And, if we like the world around us, change can be threatening. Of course, if our world is not pleasant or undesirable, we welcome change, at least we think we do.

Multiple events that challenged my generation occurred in the late 1960s. If you were around then, you witnessed protests to end the Vietnam War. Protesting is enshrined in the First Amendment; however, committing crimes while protesting is not a right. The protesting divided many and attached labels to the protesters, many of which still exist today. The protests influenced a generation, changing and sometimes challenging what they believed. Before the protests, our government seemed favorable, and since then, the favorable image has declined.

As we mature and develop, we encounter people, places, and events that often question what we know and believe to be normal. We meet other people who think differently, and we witness actions that do not seem logical from our perspective. Of course, anything that seems different from our early education and socialization could seem unexpected and strange. The other that is strange - is different. As society became more integrated and diverse, we encountered a different world, or another view might be that our world changed. Many believed we were growing and developing, which was thought to be taking positive steps. Others felt we were moving in the wrong direction and resisted the changes.

As our surroundings changed, society became more divisive, experiencing more changes. The slow changes gradually divided many into camps: those that embraced the changes and those that rejected them. Of course, there are segments in the middle that see both sides. Today, we seem to be at the pinnacle of our differences. While we understand that change is inevitable, some things only seem real when one experiences them. It is like reading history, believing that what occurred in the past is in the past, and is not a predictor of the future. Yet, for many, the changes we are experiencing are not going forward but returning to previous times in history. And for many, the times we are returning to were not pleasant. We also seem to be moving at a fast pace.

When one encounters people and events that are unexpectedly unpleasant, it can challenge one’s perspective of the world. Logic, which was thought to be universal in today’s world, is often difficult to find, along with common sense. Change can seem unpleasant when our beliefs are challenged. Early, when we experience these changes, we might think the changes are temporary and will eventually disappear. However, as time progresses, the changes that do not fit the models of our world are questioned. We ask ourselves, has our world always been like this? Did we have blinders on, or did the world change? When your firmly held beliefs are questioned, your thought process often works overtime. How did we get here, or have we always been here? Our self-image is who we think we are and how we view the world. For many, that self-image has been challenged.

As an older person, the world I lived in and knew for many years has evolved and challenged my thoughts. A younger person may observe the degree of change that I have witnessed with a different meaning. The longer one lives in what is considered to be a reasonable, stable, and logical environment, the harder it becomes to understand, to accept or not, and sometimes to believe the changes even occurred. One’s mind goes back and forth, wondering how to make sense of what seems illogical. Were we always heading in this direction? When one believes in logic and common sense, and one's surroundings seem illogical and nonsensical, one starts questioning what one believes. Just as significant are your concerns about the future. Are the changes the first step in an unpleasant direction? We hear people say they want to return to normal. Could this be the new normal?

You cannot tell someone how to think or what to believe, especially if what they are told does not fit with their beliefs. We are humans, and humans have limits. To believe something that does not fit your beliefs, you must challenge what you already know, or think you know. That challenge can be difficult.

The single most important freedom one possesses is their thoughts, and our thoughts reflect our views of our world. When confronted with ideas or events that conflict with what one believes, it can be viewed as an affront to one's individual and personal freedom. Indeed, one’s thoughts can be influenced by the words and actions of others, provided the words and actions are acceptable to one's beliefs. But what happens when they seem unacceptable?

Trust in our government is related to our unease about our future, and as mentioned earlier, that trust has been in decline for many years. The government is central to our lives and ensures our freedom. We all know that life is unfair, and many believe that in a democracy, it is the government’s job to ensure fairness. History tells us that ensuring equity and fairness has not always occurred, but it was believed we were moving in the right direction. Has that changed?