Up until a few years ago, I almost always disliked change. What sort of change, you may ask? Well, change in everything. I was miffed with my maid for changing the orientation of my couch. I admonished my son when he changed his decision to join the chess club in favour of playing soccer. I was disappointed when my best friend changed her address to be closer to her workplace. I cringe at the very thought of change. But they say, “The only thing permanent in this universe is change.”
Had not the Big Bang theory occurred, the space would still be a big basket of nothingness. If evolution had not taken place, then we would still be running around with clubs like nomads wearing dead animal skins. The first time we spoke a word brought about a change in the way we communicate today. The change in a government’s policy brought down a whole regime and changed the course of history. No matter how much I resent it, I must accept that change holds the ultimate power in the universe. It creates, it alters and it destroys.
When something changes it has a cause and then it has an effect. Whatever the cause, it is the effect that most of us need to deal with. It is not that change is an invincible being, but it is a tool. If wielded effectively it can give desirous results and if avoided can be disastrous. But ultimately the decision lies with us – whether we want to change or ignore that which is inevitable.
At Suchitra, one of the best schools in Hyderabad, we call ourselves the changemakers of society. It is true, isn’t it? As educators, we are an elite force that construct-deconstruct-reconstruct the society. But it is not possible if we do not change ourselves with the changing times. Be it the time when the entire gamut of stakeholders of our school came together to make the seemingly improbable transition to online school happen within 48 hrs of lockdown or facing the challenges of a post-COVID world where everything familiar was now strange. Change has not been easy but dealing with it has always been the Suchitran way.
We now face another change as we step into the era of Artificial Intelligence. When I decided to write this blog, I wondered whether I should research online before penning down my thoughts. But I fought the temptation off when I remembered telling my secondary school students – “Don’t let the network cast a web on your creative brain cells.”
So, here I am burning the midnight oil and trying to exercise my brain to churn out words for this topic.
The effect of AI has been profound and the change it has brought about will be felt in every aspect of human lives. Being a facilitator in one of the top schools in Hyderabad which believes in changing with times, I am sure we can effectively embrace this change. How? By allowing it to impact us and then modifying the impact to our advantage. Isn’t that what dealing with change is all about? It is only a matter of time before it all hits the ceiling, so we better take up change and wield it as a weapon rather than crumble under its force.
As Andy Andrews so unequivocally put it – “Most people think it takes a long time to change. It doesn’t. Change is immediate! Instantaneous! It may take a long time to decide to change…but change happens in a heartbeat!”