Usually wrong…

“Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.”

Thomas L Friedman

That change is the natural order of things is clearly a truism.

I recall reading – some decades ago – Bertrand Russell’s ‘A History of Western Philosophy’. Although this tome has been much criticized since its inception during the Second World War it has also been – and understandably so – a massive popular and commercial success and has remained consistently in print throughout the entire period. I found it to be a clear and concise guide to western philosophy for the uninitiated and would not hesitate to recommend it – though one should also read the critiques thereof for true balance.

Of the many schools of thought that Russell covers – from the Pre-Socratics onward – the ideas with which I feel the strongest resonance are those of Heraclitus. As quoted by Plato in ‘Cratylus’, Heraclitus’ best known doctrine – that all things are flux – is expressed thus:

“Everything flows and nothing abides.”

“Nothing endures but change.”

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.”

I would be greatly surprised if a credible case to the contrary could be made; the concept of Time’s Arrow – in entropy and all of its related forms – surely being irrefutable.

It is strange therefore – given this indigenous nature – that change is also something that many people fear or find difficult to deal with. We supposedly become more resistant to change as we grow older, and it is certainly often the case that if one is not radical in one’s youth one is unlikely ever so to be. The idea, however, of becoming a conservative in my old age scares me half to death, though friends will probably fall about laughing at this juncture – happily pointing the finger!

That change is on my mind will come as no surprise to anyone who has been following this blog for any period but, in addition to all of the other variables current in my life, this Friday morning finds me sitting in my office surrounded by boxes and packing cases. Next week we move into our new offices in the School’s shiny new multimillion pound science building. The fact that my new office is approximately 25 feet from where I am sitting now (yes, they have been building just outside our windows for the last 18 months) makes not a jot of difference. Moving is a major upheaval.

We have – naturally – taken advantage of this enforced relocation to instigate a major clear-out. My nature is to hoard – to hold on to things in case they might come in handy at some unspecified point in the future. Being impelled to throw things away goes against the grain though I am also very aware that it is a healthy – and necessary – thing to do.

As ever with change there is much to look forward to – in this case our splendid new facility – but much of which to be nervous.

Deep breath! Take the plunge…