Notes on Change and Progress
By MARGOT BECKER ’20
When new years roll around, people traditionally make resolutions: I’m going to eat better, I’m going to exercise more, I’m going to watch less TV and read more books. By January 10th most of us have probably forgotten our resolutions altogether, started ordering food three nights a week, stopped going to the gym, and binged an entire show on Netflix. There is, however, one resolution we all should make this year, and it's one we can’t afford to break. In a time of social and political gridlock, fear of change has caused members of society to weigh resentment for moving forward. This new year, we must resolve ourselves to keep pushing forward, to stand for the morally right and to eschew the morally wrong. We must stand for progress over regression, and in these trying times, we must stand for the right to stand.
Our time is going to be one of change. A century ago, we had just finished a war fought with swords and on horseback. Today, our wars are fought from conference rooms using flying robots. Fifty years ago we landed men on the moon for the first time in human history, while today we are preparing to send Astronauts to Mars. The pace of change in the world is increasing at an almost dizzying rate. Cracks in our progression, though, are starting to appear. Global warming is threatening the planet and our entire species with an increasingly present cost; political instability threatens massive swaths of the world, including the United States; and human rights are facing threat even in highly developed nations.
Each of these cracks is a symbol of resistance to change, each is a symbol of fear. But change is not something to be feared—it is the natural order of the world. Humans have always adapted to survive, but now, in a time of relative comfort for those of us with so much privilege, we seem so ready to oppose it and to drag our feet at the idea of new horizons. We are scared to break all that we have created for ourselves in the world, but humanity cannot maintain itself in such a fearful way. We are innovators by nature, discoverers of the unknown, and creators of our own destiny.
As we begin the new year, we must embrace the spirit of change and progress. Throw out your new year's resolution to go to the gym more. Join me in resolving to embrace change, embrace new perspectives, and embrace the natural discomfort that accompanies all uncharted experiences. Push fear off by the wayside, and embrace the bright and ever changing future.