The nature of change…

Change is often viewed as an unalloyed good, and there are many types of change that come close to fitting this bill. However, as with all things in life, change does not exist in a vacuum. The ultimate degree of benefit resulting from any change is highly dependent upon the context in which it occurs. When one type of change—whether it be positive or negative in nature—outpaces other forms of change, a critical mechanism is short circuited: there is insufficient change in other areas to compensate for, mediate, or moderate the runaway change, so that its effects are tempered and made manageable and less disruptive. Virtually anything that is left unchecked will eventually create problems of one kind or another. Therefore, it is incumbent upon mankind to prudently manage change, based on the reasonable assumption that anything arising from the actions of humans can never be an unalloyed good.