Keith Braithwaite

The world is changing so fast.

For centuries technology changed very slowly; horses or oxen ploughed fields and travelling to the next town was a great event to the average man. Foreign countries were places of mystery to which only the very rich or the very foolhardy could travel, as the expedition would take years, if the traveller ever came back.

The most effective, indeed the only, means of communication was by post.

Look at the world now. We can travel to the other side of the world in a day. When the Japanese earthquake and tsunami happened in March 2011 it was shown to viewers of BBC news less than an hour later, the Royal Wedding in London the following month was watched by a million people who lined the route, many of them had travelled halfway around the world to be there, 2 billion people saw the event live on television and a further 400 million watched it online.

We can now talk to people anywhere in the world in live conversation and work on computers, which were unimaginable 20 years ago. They were beyond science fiction. This article has been written in the United Kingdom and published in the Philippines a matter of minutes later.

And yet many people are still afraid of change.

The speed of development in the world has meant we are all still largely thinking the same as our ancestors a century ago. Sure, we believe we are embracing change: each new generation seems to embrace advance faster than the last.

But are we the masters of change or are we being controlled by it?

But you may say ‘I am not afraid of change. Look, I have the latest telephone and the latest television. I embrace change.’ But I think one of the signs of a fear of change is the fear of being left behind by change.

Let me put it this way. You have a lovely flash high definition television. Nice. But surely you should have the latest 3D television if you are keeping up with technology? Many people have done this; in the first nine months of sale, two million 3D televisions were sold in North America. Why? Did people really need them?

Then truth is they were afraid of falling behind in the technology race. Change mastered them.

Underlying all this change are values that have never changed. Having respect for other people will always be important. Making the most of ourselves will always be key.  Finding peace in ourselves will never rely on technology. Words of motivation are needed now as much as at any time.

But the fear of change makes us forget important principles in life. Those televisions cost around £1000 a time and, if the technology changes each year, that is an annual cost. And then don’t forget the new computers, computer games and telephones that are needed.

Wit the ease of communication comes marketing. Now it is easier than ever for companies to persuade you that their products are the ones you want. And you buy them even if you do not have the money. Change is mastering you.

And yet we still fear changes to our lives. In the second half of the twentieth century the population of Britain lived in comfort, knowing the state will always support them if things went wrong. Now the money has gone. We all have to change the way we think and listen to the words of motivation. We have to start to rely on ourselves. This has always been true but we lost sight of it.

Now we have to change. But we are afraid.

Over the last few weeks, strikes have been threatened throughout the country because things are changing. Because pay and pensions are being eroded. But the truth is this is just change and I would bet that this is being repeated in different ways around the world.

My words of motivation are these: things are changing faster than ever and yet what has always been important is still there. We are all equal to the challenges ahead if we learn to be the master of them, adapt where necessary and keep to our values and natural laws.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Originally posted to the Inspiration Messages website.