Why you shouldn't resist change

What is Change? 

**smiles** The word change is a very familiar word to our society, but I am not talking about that kind of change now.

Change simply put by me is disrupting the normal. Thinking in an unconventional way or challenging old beliefs. However, our belief system is so strong that in order to play safe we choose to shy away from change.

Resistance to change is universal, across every race, gender and so on. People find it hard to accept different ways of doing things.

I started reading this book Developing the Leader within you by John Maxwell, and I've begun to see reasons why we should accept change.

Here's a true story from the book:
Resisting change can unwittingly affect one’s health and life, as the following account portrays. Hippocrates described scurvy in ancient times. The disease seemed to especially plague armies in the field and cities that were under siege for long periods of time. Later, following the discovery of America, when long sea voyages became common, scurvy became rampant among sailors. Little was known about what caused scurvy and
less about its cure, although elaborate theories and remedies were prescribed. None of them was completely effective and most were worthless. 

In 1553, Cartier made his second voyage to Newfoundland. Of his 103-man crew, 100 developed agonizing scurvy and were in great anguish when the Iroquois Indians of Quebec came to their rescue with what was described as a “miraculous cure.” The Iroquois Indians gave the sick sailors an infusion of bark and leaves of the pine tree. 

In 1553, Admiral Sir Richard Hawkins noted that during his career on the high seas, ten thousand seamen under his command had died of scurvy. He also recorded that in his experience sour oranges and lemons had been most effective in curing the disease.
Yet these observations had no sweeping effect in bringing about an awareness of what could prevent scurvy, and the observations of this admiral went unheeded. 

James Lind, a British naval surgeon, who later became the chief physician of the Naval Hospital at Portsmouth, England, published a book in 1753 in which he stated explicitly that scurvy could be eliminated simply by supplying sailors with lemon juice. He cited
many case histories from his experience as a naval surgeon at sea; he proved that such things as mustard cress, tamarinds, oranges, and lemons would prevent scurvy. In fact anything that contains enough vitamin C, which is most abundant in citrus fruit, tomatoes, and to a lesser degree in most green vegetables and other fruits, will prevent scurvy. 

You might rightfully expect that Dr. Lind would have been highly honored and praised for his great contribution, but the reverse is true. He was ridiculed. He became frustrated and remarked bitterly: “Some persons cannot be brought to believe that a disease so fatal and so dreaded can be cured or prevented by such easy means.” They would have more faith in an elaborate composition dignified with the title of “an antiscorbutic golden elixir” or the
like. The “some persons” to whom Dr. Lind referred were My Lords of the Admiralty and other physicians.In fact they ignored Dr. Lind’s advice for forty years. One sea captain did take his advice- the now famous Captain James Cook, who stocked his ships with an ample supply of fresh fruits. 

The Royal Society honored Captain Cook in 1776 for his success, but the officials of the navy ignored his report. Not until 1794, the year of Dr. Lind’s death, was a British navy squadron supplied with lemon juice before a voyage. On that voyage, which lasted twenty three weeks, there was not one case of scurvy, yet another decade passed before regulations were enacted requiring sailors to drink a daily ration of lemon juice to prevent scurvy. With this enactment, scurvy disappeared from the British Navy. 

The needless loss of life simply because masses of people were resistant to change was more than unfortunate. It was outrageous.

Sometimes the answer to lives greatest challenges lie in little things. 

Don’t let your attitude toward change or your predisposition to avoid it create detrimental hindrances to your own personal success as a leader. 

Get involved. Share your thoughts! What do you think about change in our communities.