27.11.08

30 Nov - 7 Dec 2008

Many people think that traditions (whether religious or cultural) are opposed to change. However, according to the management guru, Charles Handy:
“Tradition can be the midwife of change. Abandon everything of the past and we can become like flotsam on the tide of modernity”
BBC Radio 4 talk on 16/2/1998 called ‘Re-inventing God’ by Charles Handy (b1932, Irish author/philosopher specialising in organisational behaviour and management).

Does tradition bind us to the past so that we are unable to change? Or can we build on our traditions, learning from them so that we can change in more positive ways? Think about the traditions in our culture or in various religions.

20.11.08

23 - 30 Nov 2008

The following famous prayer about change may be 14th century but is commonly attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr. It has been associated with Alcoholics Anonymous and also modified for those who do not believe in God:
"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."
Attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr (1982-1971, theologian, pastor)

14.11.08

16 - 24 Nov 2008

Many of us are naturally resistant to change: change in routine, or change in the way we work, or change in our ideas and what we believe. Yet as we learn more about the world and ourselves, we are challenged to change:
"The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn – and change"
Carl Rogers (1902–1987, psychologist)

7.11.08

9 - 16 Nov 2008

We continue with quotations on the theme of 'Change'. We are aware that society needs changing - Barack Obama's campaign slogan was 'Change we can believe in'. Sometimes, though, we are not able to change a situation:
"When we are no longer able to change a situation,
we are challenged to change ourselves."
Victor Frankl (1905-1997, Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor).