A formula for change in the 21st Century

In our last blog, we discussed what is good citizenship, and who makes a good citizen. In this blog, we take a step further and think about change. What lies at the root of all great and significant change in the world?
Let us look at some of the greatest transformations this world has seen over the last 1000 years.

1. The 12^th century witnessed the establishment and rise of law and order and the systematic application of the same. This happened through the compilation of law books, the development of jurisprudence and the rise of trial by jury.

2. The 1740s marked the rise of the industrial revolution and the world saw the beauty of automation. This marked the beginning of the great convergence and great communication, of open markets and economically sound trade.

3. In 1879, Thomas Edison’s light bulb shook the world at its core.

4. The 20^th century was all about the invention of the future. According to The Guardian, a prominent British newspaper, in1900 few people seriously considered the future. William Morris and a few socialists wrote ideal visions of the world they wanted to see, but there was little serious consideration of where we were going as a society. Today we predict almost everything: how much time it will take us to reach a destination, what the weather will be, what housing we will need, where we will dispose of our rubbish for the next 30 years and so on.

The age we are in now, this is the knowledge age. New patterns of work and new business practices have developed, and, as a result, new kinds of workers, with new and different skills, are required. According to a beautiful website called www.shiftingthinking.org, ‘Knowledge is no longer being thought of as ‘stuff’ that is developed (and stored) in the minds of experts, represented in books, and classified into disciplines. Instead, it is now thought of as being like a form of energy, as a system of networks and flows – something that does things, or makes things happen.’ This major change and shift in thinking has made collaboration and open source work possible and beneficial to many. To read the full article, click here.
What has driven these major changes is the power of a group of men and women who took responsibility and the initiative to make something new happen. To cause disruption where no one had imagined. To make the world a better place simply by applying themselves fully with immense commitment and dedication. This is at the core of every change that matters.
The 21^st century according to us at Desh Apnayen is all about the power of the young people to challenge the status quo, get involved in their communities and cause incremental change from bottom up. This is the change we are all waiting for.