The city was built about a metre above the shoreline of Lake Michigan, meaning that storm water and sewage would flow into the centre of town, leading to outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and other communicable diseases. Yet history also offers another blueprint for solving big problems - one that encourages innovation and ingenuity, that allows people to make their own decisions about what is in their own best interests and that has built some of the most successful societies on Earth.Īrticle content Raising of a block of brick buildings on Chicago’s Lake Street in 1857. They would have us follow the Soviet model of centralized government controls, which has historically made people less free and less well off. Unfortunately, the voices who have come to dominate the climate debate largely reject the idea that mankind should find ways to adjust to changing climatic conditions, or that global warming can be solved by anything other than the total elimination of carbon emissions. Today, the ever-expanding use of coercive state policies to achieve environmental aims makes it hard for those who value capitalism and individual liberty to get on board with climate action. ![]() Photo by Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press People participate in a climate protest on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. Part of the problem is that many on the right spent decades disputing the science of global warming, rather than proposing solutions that could harness the power of human ingenuity and free markets to create positive change. The media routinely pushes a faulty narrative about climate change leading to global destruction, without providing any historical context, and without ever mentioning that fewer people die from natural disasters nowadays, thanks to our own industriousness and creativity. And I am ready for change.On the left, the radical climate agenda has been mainstreamed. It is a little early for New Year’s resolutions, but I am working to make necessary changes at both home and work, because I do know this much to be true – things won’t change unless something changes. The truth is that everything is always changing, so if you are not moving forward, you are moving backward. If it were true that not changing would ensure that everything stayed the same, what any easy world this would be to navigate. Your bad habit won’t break your bad habit will break you. Keeping the same, safe routine will keep my clients happy and the bills paid today, but a lack of action certainly does not guarantee that everything will remain the same. Not changing may not change anything today, but it may tomorrow. I understand the intended meaning of the phrase, but I often struggle to motivate myself to make major changes when the status quo is “OK.” If I can keep chugging along without raising red flags or causing immediate problems, I am tempted to keep the status quo.įor example, in my business it is easier for me to stay busy with client work than to carve out time to network more or meet with potential new clients – even when I know that is the only way to truly grow. And if you keep charging items you can’t afford on your credit card (regardless of the awesome cash back you may receive), the bank won’t just keep raising your credit limits. If you keep underachieving at work, you won’t just get more eye rolls from the boss. If you keep eating three doughnuts for breakfast every day, you won’t stay the same. The real problem with the “nothing changes if nothing changes” mantra is that many times, things do change if you don’t do anything. Finances an issue? Aren’t they for everyone? Not impressing the boss? She is impossible to please. A few pounds overweight? I can live with that. To many people, things are perfectly OK the way they are as demonstrated by their lack of doing anything about them. Instead, it takes a genuine commitment to a new way of operating to make any significant and long-term difference in our life or business. Our bad habits will not be broken by wishful thinking. It is simple and a nice little reminder that if we continue to do things the same way all the time, we should not expect a different outcome. One that has caught my attention recently is “Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes.” ![]() Digital memes, Pinterest boards and even traditional roadside marquees are great sources for some of our society’s greatest insights and provoking thoughts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |