It is okay to challenge “the system,” to ask questions of it. This is how we can improve it, as no system is perfect and they do need to evolve or be scrapped over time. However, many fear standing out, fear being labelled as the one who rocks the boat. These people hide in the middle, as this is where they feel less exposed, where they feel the safest. Those who benefit the most from “the system” are grateful for the accession to it.
A system is just a pattern of behaviours that the majority of persons within a group or society follow. It is hardly different to following a path across a field, simply because that is what others have done before us. It does not mean that this is the best path or the most expedient path, it simply means that it is the one that is being followed now.
It is normal to predicate our behaviours on what has gone before us, as we learn from our experiences and this empirical based knowledge has allowed for a stable, predictable society. We all know where we stand within it. But some of the greatest growth in our Western world came from challenging and revolting against the systems in the past. The revolutions of the 18th century showed us this, giving us an industrial world, a modern democratic system, among other things. Otherwise, we would not have evolved from the feudal system of before.
It is important to understand this, as we may be on the cusp of another paradigmatic change to our society and we should not be afraid to embrace this change. We, as a western civilization, are well poised to adapt to these changes, especially in Alberta.
We have the youngest demographic in Canada, and the Millennial generation is well suited to take us forward within the technological revolution. They are creative thinkers with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and they will adapt to the changes that are now occurring within our economy, which is just another system. More importantly, as a generation, they are more optimistic about the future than the Boomers or Generation X.
To encourage this optimism, we need to stop sowing the seeds of fear, to embrace the realization that change will occur, and to acknowledge that the Millennial generation will accomplish some amazing things that we cannot imagine. But if we keep looking backwards, lamenting for our past glories –and if we continue to follow this path – we will have missed an opportunity for change, condemning another generation all because we thought we were playing it safe, hiding in the middle ground of systems thinking. And who would that benefit in the end?
John Kennair is an international consultant and doctor of laws who lives in St. Albert.
