The End of History Illusion
Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they’re finished. The person you are right now is as transient, as fleeting and as temporary as all the people you’ve ever been. The one constant in our life is change.
This short paragraph is how Dan Gilbert concludes his excellent (and concise) TED Talk on the ‘End of History Illusion‘. We know that change is ever-present and increasing, but we drastically underestimate its impact on us, our values, our circumstances, our relationships and our preferences.
There are two main reasons for this. The first, as Andrew Peek highlights early in his own TED Talk (see later) is that we can grasp the concept that the rate of change is increasing exponentially, but we imagine this in technological terms rather than the real social, cultural and behavioural implications of those new technologies (both positive and negative).
The second is our tendency to see ourselves as ‘finished’, sufficiently learned and grown to require just the occasional adjustment to keep us in tune – while the reality is that we will each need to grow more than we imagine.
The consequence of the end of history illusion is significant in terms of our own happiness, and in terms of the happiness of those around us. Dan Gilbert explains some of the direct implications in his talk, but there is, I believe, two other key factors which limit our potential and who we ultimately become.
The first is that, if we could accept that our need to change will be greater than we imagine, then we might do far more to equip ourselves to play an active part in that change – sensing and taking opportunities on our own terms rather than having them arise out of circumstance and situation and reacting to what emerges.
The second is that, if we recognise that who we currently are is not who we will be, we might be more tolerant and engaging with those who are seeking to prepare us for that change; to be more open to recognising the potential and opportunity in other viewpoints and positions, even though our own rationale and mindset currently sees them as wrong.
Dan Gilbert and Andrew Peek’s TED talks can be found below:
https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_you_are_always_changing
https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_peek_how_your_personal_narrative_limits_your_future