I read somewhere that there is only one thing that is constant in this world and that is change. However it is very hard for people in general to accept this phenomenon. To make this point clear Spencer Johnson’s book “Who moved my cheese?” is a perfect example.
This book contains a story of four characters – two mice “Sniff” and “Scurry” and two little people “Hem” and “Haw” who represent human metaphor. All of these characters live in a maze where they find varieties of cheese to satisfy their hunger.
The difference between the mice and humans is that the former are constantly noticing the dwindling cheese but the latter are oblivious to their surroundings and just feel comfortable with what they are getting. Soon the supply of cheese finishes and this does not surprise Sniff and Scurry but Hem and Haw cannot figure out what’s happening overnight. They only keep wondering, “Who moved my cheese?”
The mice start their venture to find another supply of cheese in the maze whereas the humans wait there hoping that someday their cheese will reappear. At one level this story is simply read this way; at another level it carries a profound meaning. Here, the maze represents the world in which we live, the cheese represents our comfort and happiness, and the moving cheese represents constant change.
Particularly what happens, people who are comfortable with one way of life resist moving to an unknown situation; like Hem and Haw, they are reluctant to leave the once cheesy part of the maze to search for more cheese. That part can be said to be their comfort zone. Of course it is difficult to venture out of your comfort zone, but once you do, you can find surprises sooner or later, just like Sniff and Scurry, whose incessant search leads them to an unprecedented cheese station.
When I observe the teachers who follow the traditional way of rote teaching for instance, I feel sympathy towards them. Even if they are continuously suggested to implement new and innovative teaching approaches and provided with the needed tools they fear to discard their old way of teaching and try others available to them. Doing this, they are deprived of the chance to be competitive teachers in the market and at the same time they are not giving their students an ample number of learning opportunities.
To cope with change and even to anticipate its approach is one of the survival skills to fit in this ever changing world. No matter how hard one struggles to resist change, it is an inevitability. And its consequence is the person lags behind and faces difficulties throughout.
Therefore the better option would be to accept the reality that change happens or one’s cheese keeps moving, so he must be ready to tackle this situation and equips himself to find new cheese or adapt to the changing situation. It is not a good idea to say “No” to change; instead welcome the change every time it comes to you and enjoy what it brings to your life. Get ready, something is going to change soon and you need to flow with this change.
The difference between the mice and humans is that the former are constantly noticing the dwindling cheese but the latter are oblivious to their surroundings and just feel comfortable with what they are getting. Soon the supply of cheese finishes and this does not surprise Sniff and Scurry but Hem and Haw cannot figure out what’s happening overnight. They only keep wondering, “Who moved my cheese?”
The mice start their venture to find another supply of cheese in the maze whereas the humans wait there hoping that someday their cheese will reappear. At one level this story is simply read this way; at another level it carries a profound meaning. Here, the maze represents the world in which we live, the cheese represents our comfort and happiness, and the moving cheese represents constant change.
Particularly what happens, people who are comfortable with one way of life resist moving to an unknown situation; like Hem and Haw, they are reluctant to leave the once cheesy part of the maze to search for more cheese. That part can be said to be their comfort zone. Of course it is difficult to venture out of your comfort zone, but once you do, you can find surprises sooner or later, just like Sniff and Scurry, whose incessant search leads them to an unprecedented cheese station.When I observe the teachers who follow the traditional way of rote teaching for instance, I feel sympathy towards them. Even if they are continuously suggested to implement new and innovative teaching approaches and provided with the needed tools they fear to discard their old way of teaching and try others available to them. Doing this, they are deprived of the chance to be competitive teachers in the market and at the same time they are not giving their students an ample number of learning opportunities.
To cope with change and even to anticipate its approach is one of the survival skills to fit in this ever changing world. No matter how hard one struggles to resist change, it is an inevitability. And its consequence is the person lags behind and faces difficulties throughout.
Therefore the better option would be to accept the reality that change happens or one’s cheese keeps moving, so he must be ready to tackle this situation and equips himself to find new cheese or adapt to the changing situation. It is not a good idea to say “No” to change; instead welcome the change every time it comes to you and enjoy what it brings to your life. Get ready, something is going to change soon and you need to flow with this change.
(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Friday, April 27, 2018 )
[The pictures on this blog are posted here with permission from their owners or have been gathered from various sources on the Internet. If you are the copyright-holder to any of the photographs herein do not hesitate to contact me. They will be swiftly removed if desired ]
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I would appreciate any and all suggestions on making improvements (as long as they are viable).