Chapter 5
Learn, unlearn and relearn
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.
Charles Darwin
In 1993 about 1600 people belonged to the International Flat Earth Research Society of America. I kid you not.
Their president, Charles K. Johnson, stated publicly that he had been a proud ‘Flat Earther’ all his life: ‘When I saw the globe in grade school I didn’t accept it then and I don’t accept it now’.
Needless to say, there are people you might call ‘late adapters’!
Of course, when it comes to adapting to changes in the world around us, whether they be changes in the prevailing beliefs or changes in the actual environment in which we live, learning how to adapt to change can be difficult. For some, such as Charles K. Johnson, who died in 2001 still adamant that the moon landings had been staged, it can be more difficult than others.
While it’s easy to mock someone who maintains the world is flat hundreds of years after it’s been proven otherwise, there are many respected people who have made similar statements that, with hindsight, now seem equally short-sighted. For example, this comment made by Darryl F. Zanuck, head of 20th Century Fox, in 1946: ‘Television won’t be able to hold onto any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.’
Change before you have to
To succeed in today’s world, it’s vital for you to remain open-minded ...
