Change is constant and increasing in pace. These statements are not new, shocking, or profound. They are obvious.
We have understood the constant pressure of change since around 500 BC when Heraclitus famously declared, “The only constant is change”.
Yet we are still surprised by it. Change sneaks up on us and interrupts our plans like a hitman with a contract. Something is going to end, it’s just a matter of time.
What Heraclitus didn’t say was how much the pace of change would change. According to the video Shift Happens it has become exponential.
The top ten in demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004.
The first commercial text was sent in 1992. In 2020 the number of texts sent exceeded the population of the planet.
There are 5x as many words in the English language today as there was during Shakespeare’s life.
It is estimated that a week’s worth of the New York Times contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in the 18th century.
That’s a lot of change but for an increasing number of people this exponential pace has normalized. When I’ve played the video above for Boomers they are often shocked and upset by it but most millennials offer a knowing nod to the facts laid out. It’s become obvious.
I’ve learned something about change. When new things become obvious we are ripe for something new.
I’m not saying I know what it is but I’m starting to look for it.