Who Moved the Cheese?

Meditations on Change
I was the guest speaker at the Panhandle Writers Conference and presented this speech along with music and a PowerPoint presentation.

+ Who Moved My Cheese? Is a story about change that takes place in a Maze where four amusing characters look for Cheese- Cheese being a metaphor for what we want to have in life whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, health, recognition, spiritual peace, or anything else you can think of. * Each of us has our own idea of what cheese is, and we pursue it because we believe it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if we lose it, or its taken away, it can be traumatic. The maze in the story represents where you look for what you want: the community you live in, the relationships in your life, your work environment. The four imaginary characters depicted in this story- the two mice named Sniff and Scurry and the 2 little people named Hem and Haw- are intended to represent parts of ourselves. Sometimes we may act like Sniff who sniffs out change early or Scurry who scurries into action. Sometimes we may act like Hem who denies and resisits change as he fears it will lead to something worse or Haw who learns to adapt over time when he sees that changing leads to something better. Like these characters, we all share their characteristics and something in common: a need to find our way in the maze and survive, even succeed in changing times.

Music: The Times They Are a Changing Bob Dylan

There are many types of change that a person encounters at one time or another in their life. There is personal change as we re-invent ourselves and re-define our priorities ever so often. There is change when people enter our lives and when they exit our lives. We may change our belief system, our priorities, our residence, our friends. We change our diet, our style, our jobs, and we may even have a change of heart. There is change all around us as well. Political change, paradigm change, financial change, and cultural change. If you think about it, we are changing right now with every moment that passes because we are in constant motion. Change happens in an instant- It is in that moment you turn right or left and out of the darkness-out of the fog- you are blind-sided, never knowing what hit you- never seeing it coming- until you look around and the entire landscape of your life is suddenly different. Fortunately, it does not happen with such high drama in most cases.

In Kafkas book The Metamorphosis, Edgar Samsa awoke one bright morning to discover he had changed into a 6 tall cockroach overnight while he was sleeping. I have always feared that kind of transformation. I have resisted change all my life-choosing rather to hold tenaciously to the familiar than to risk the unknown. But sometimes change comes whether you welcome it or not. Although man may enjoy free will for the most part, I believe there are times when things beyond our control come along and we become mere victims of fate, tossed about tempestuously by cruel destiny. Change is eternal, perpetual, immortal. It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. In movement, there is life, and in change, there is power. This sounds like reason enough to let go of the old and embrace the new, but sadly, this takes people out of their comfort zone. They say that you cannot achieve what you cannot at first visualize. Many people simply cannot envision anything else except what they know from their personal experience. And we must acknowledge that it is difficult if not impossible to force change on the unwilling. When I used to work with impaired individuals who were chemically dependent, I discovered an interesting and alarming statistic. If they had admitted themselves for treatment, there was a good chance for recovery. However, if they had been committed against their will, the rate of recidivism was nearly 80%. I think this illustrates the challenge that change presents. It is difficult enough for the willing, and nearly impossible for those who are unwilling. People can only hear you when they are moving toward you, and they are not likely to respond if you are pursing them. Even the best words lose their power when they are used to overpower.

I have been an educator for over two decades and this collective experience has brought me to several conclusions about change or the lack thereof. There are really two areas worthy of examination. First of all, why students are afraid to grow, learn new ideas, and let go of things that dont work well and secondly, why public schools and our leaders in education refuse to reform the current system and initiate the changes that would make schools an actual place of learning instead of a political quagmire of unaccountability and failure. Epictetus: It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows. Even though he was born a slave in Hierapolis in the year 55 AD, Epictetus held that all human beings are perfectly free to control their lives. From a fundamental distinction between our ability to think or feel freely and our lack of control over external events or circumstances, Epictetus derived the description of a calm and

disciplined life. Many people think they know everything they need to know and refuse to open their minds to anything new or different. Perhaps we have all been guilty of that at one time or another. Gloria Steinem: The first problem for all of us is not to learn, but to unlearn. One ancient philosopher and the other an esteemed contemporary sage, these words of wisdom demonstrate the reluctance to change not only on educational levels but in all areas of society. Politicians, educators, and a myriad of other policy makers hold true to the status quo regardless of how antiquated or ineffectual they may be. In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped with a world that no longer exists. One example that comes to mind is the way we have consigned our public schools to the role of police and rote memory mongers bound to meaningless standardized tests. Students are not given the tools or the inspiration to become independent thinkers with higher level thinking abilities. They cannot assimilate and transfer classroom learning to their own lives and certainly are incapable of applying it to the social and political problems that challenge our world today. Schools often proclaim that one of their missions is to create lifetime learners. Sadly, as curriculum is dumbed down and instruction is centered on performance on standardized tests, students become apathetic, reluctant learners who retain little and have no clue how to use what they do remember. Teachers should be careful to connect all classroom learning to authentic, real life so that students will see the value of the learning and become more invested in the process. One of my major contentions about public school is that it demands such conformity and such uniformity that students are not free to develop or discover a passion for knowledge. All too often, students are not rewarded for original ideas or free thinking. Some schools have addressed this problem and crafted innovative ways to remedy it, but far too many have not. It is more comfortable to create a homogenized product that has no individual characteristics. Anais Nin: [ pronounced "ana-EESE neen" ] prolific French writer once remarked When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow. Life is a process of becoming-a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death. So if learners inherit the earth, we could all be in trouble. It is also suggesting that one must continue to learn, to adapt, to be actively engaged in the process of acquiring new knowledge because if you ever reach the place where you feel you have achieved a level of wisdom that is adequate or self-sustaining or

complete, then you become one of those complacent and all too often arrogant intellectuals who spouts off bits of wisdom but remains both static and stagnant. For those of us who have spent our lives acquiring knowledge and tapping the wisdom of the ages, it may be true that we are beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. Although past wisdom can be applied to contemporary problems, there is a need for new solutions- ideas that are outside the box- that will address the multitude of new problems that previous generations did not have to face. This disconnect from reality or inability to adapt conventional wisdom to new situations could be one of the most significant challenges we face. I think that one possible explanation for such ineffective policies in education and other areas as well is an antiquated set of ideals that is no longer appropriate. As many of us know, this is not the same world with the same challenges that we faced when we were young. Everything from new technology to new diseases and everything in between creates something dangerous. When octogenarian bureaucrats who practice cronyism attempt to remedy social ills with policies that worked 40 years ago, we have a recipe for disaster. We cannot implement methodology from days gone by. The world we live in has changed, and we must change with it. But perhaps there is hope. James Baldwin: Nothing is fixed forever and forever. The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to one another, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out. Its not so much that were afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but its the place in between that we fear.. Its like being between trapezes. Its Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There is nothing to hold on to. Change comes to us whether we welcome it or not. It happens in all settings. In classrooms, in boardrooms, in bedrooms, in the rooms of our heart. Sometimes change forces us to let go of something or someone we are not ready or willing to let go of. But we adapt. We are resilient. Life goes on. We learn. And we see that there are ties that bind- things that remain when all else perishes- things that transcend this physical realm. We let go of one thing, close our eyes, hold our breath, and reach for the next thing. And life goes on as we embrace the new. We conquer our fear. We grieve our loss.We get up and we go on. Change happens. Sometimes it is long overdue and brings with it a much needed improvement. Sometimes it is tragic or sad. But the fact remainschange happens. And the sun will come up tomorrow. The tide will move out to sea. Life will go on. And we will discover that change is a wonderful opportunity to improve, enhance, evolve.