Resistance to Change

Resistance to change is an accusation which presupposes that change has one attribute, good. It’s not good to people who resist it. Therefore, make it two attributes: good and bad.

Let’s assume change is good, like when we changed grocery bags from brown paper to plastic. It was a great time for grocery chains because the plastic bag had their names and logo, all shiny and bright. Time passed. Plastic was all over city streets, rivers and drains. It replaced weeds and flowers. City birds pecked the plastic thinking it was food. We are back to square one with brown grocery bags. Change we initially thought was good turned out to be the environment’s enemy.

Resistance to change can be personal. Some people do not have cellphones and laptops because they don’t want to be in bondage, having every aspect of their lives regarded as ‘data’ which is used in many ways.

Change is also religious, corporate and political. Most of the time, corporate change works well with political. That’s how we were dragged kicking and screaming to internet banking. Corporate loves this symbiotic relationship because the government passes laws that force us to change, and resistance can lead to a fine or criminal record.  

During the pandemic, schools were online, with no consideration that most families do not have a laptop let alone five, for all members of the family. Struggling families do not resist change as such. They just don’t have money to acquire things initiated by corporate change, like owning a laptop.

Resistance to change will soon be a dinosaur because technology controls what we eat, drink, wear and even changes our perception of what’s right or wrong. Digital change is relentless. It doesn’t take a break, because of data, the new platinum. If you know everything about someone, you can tailor their needs, and even control what they think they need. We are in digital bondage and we cannot resist it.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.