# Predicting Levels of Change By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-03-14 Have you ever returned to a place after being there for years only to find out that nothing has changed or everything has changed? Perhaps you've returned to the place you grew up after finishing college, or you talked to a colleague still working at a company you left some time ago. It's interesting how things change versus how much we change. If we haven't changed at all or have no expectation of change to happen, returning "home" to an unchanged situation feels comforting. However, if we have changed or expect change, returning "home" to an unchanged situation feels anachronistic (e.g. why doesn't this place get with the times). Our perceptions and how we view ourselves shape how we interpret and reconcile our memories of what was, what we wished it would be, and where it actually is. Here we encounter a core dynamic of progressives and conservatives. Progressives view change positively and see themselves as changing. Conservatives view change negatively and see themselves are keepers of foundational values. The problem is neither will be satisfied when returning home or to an organization they left long ago. Places and organizations rarely change processes and culture. This annoys the progressive. Places and organizations always have new faces that ask challenging questions, and entropy happens. This annoys the conservative. Turns out that knowing yourself is the best way to predict your feelings about the future. You are the independent variable in the equation. You are a variable that can change, and change is in the eyes of the beholder. #### Related Items [[Change]] [[Self-Improvement]] [[Consciousness]] [[Perception]] [[Conservative]] [[Progressive]]