The Only Constant in the Universe is Change
I have spoken or written this a few hundred times during my career as a futurist. Often, it is in response to an audience member saying that they “don’t like change”. I suggest to them that if the only constant in the universe is change, resisting change means that one is in resistance to the entire universe.
The winds of change are blowing everywhere. The American election has, more than most, delivered the potential for massive change due to the MAGA movement that Trump has led. The agenda – and cabinet nominees- are vastly different than recent Presidents. It is clear that the Trump administration will be far different from the Biden one.
In Europe, the two biggest economies – and supporters of NATO- France and Germany have both had national votes of no confidence for the existing governments. In addition both economies are moving sideways given this political reality. South Korea, another strong US ally, just had a President declare martial law. That guy is already gone, but there is great uncertainty about the near-term future of this country.
There is generational change as well. Globally, while the Boomer generation remains in control in many countries, the GenX generation is ascending into power, politically, socially, and economically. At the same time, Gen Z – the first generation that is truly Digital Natives- is shaping the world and clearly will in the next two decades. The time of Boomers is passing.
There are times in history when the world changes quickly, much faster than others. This is one of those times when decades of change can happen in a matter of years. For the last seven years, I have been calling the 2020s, “the most disruptive decade in history”. And it is!
Paid subscribers have been able to download “The 2020s: The Most Disruptive Decade in History” as a free download last year. This year the free downloadable eBook has been “The 2020s: A Decade of Cognitive Dissonance”
Humanity is finally letting go of legacy 20th-century thinking and conceptual constructs.. Long-time readers of my columns and books know that I have stated innumerable times that humanity powered into the new century and millennium, but we held on to most of the legacy concepts during the first decade so that the decade 2010 – 2020 was actually the first decade of 21st century thought. Now, it seems that around the world, humanity is letting go of what used to be many of the standard rules and protocols that largely shaped our various realities.
The systemic, arteriosclerotic weaknesses of 20th-century democracy, the nation-state, and, of course, the rapidly receding technology of the last century are now giving way in the US and around the world.
Trump seems to want to get rid of the “deep state”. Whether there is one is debatable. Perhaps it is the deep state that takes care of people. Who sends out Social Security checks, Medicare reimbursements, and Veteran’s payments? The people who work in the Deep State. Trump’s stated goal of smashing things and challenging institutions may well be a quick way to lose outdated 20th-century stuff, or not. If not, the realities stated in a recent column here will kick in in 2026 and will be self-corrective.
So we are now about halfway through the most disruptive decade in history. The year 2025 will be about many big, headline-making stories that can trigger anxiety, fear, and concern.
The emerging autocrats around the world, including Trump, will rail against the establishments that are well-dug in at all the major liberal democracies around the world. Whether the destruction of the deep states and bureaucracies is the way to do it, it may well be the first step in a realignment to whatever the clear and true path is for humanity in the 21st century.
Inevitably the homo sapiens alive today will need to move from a system that is #moneyfirst to a more profound, more global way of #humanityfirst.