How important is it to be adaptable? When do you find it more rewarding to stick with the tried-and-true? Where is the balance between innovation and tradition?

It’s our lot in life to constantly be moving forward and adapting to the here-and-now while keeping our feet firmly planted in what has come before.

The dynamics of dancing between tradition and innovation is what roots us to the present moment. Life is a constant process of reevaluating what has come before and balancing it with the new and novel.

Every time a new technology or way of thinking presents itself, we find ourselves out of sync with the equilibrium of our former familiar reality.

When we balance upon the high wire of the unknown, there’s a giddy sense of danger mixed with excitement. We never quite know for sure how something new is going to work out until it builds up a sense of familiarity and history.

As you well know, the only thing constant is change. Along with that comes the old saw that ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’.

We have no choice but to dance between the past and the future. The tension lies in that perceived feeling of urgency to get with the program and go with the flow of what is supposedly the latest and greatest.

As new ideas and ways of doing things come along and supplant the old ones, a constant process of re-evaluation is going on. Some things that seem so shiny and new and wonderful become obsolete before you know it. Other innovations have staying power, and improve their worth over time.

Yet there can be pleasure in the paradox.

Your phone may give you access to millions of things to read or watch, but that doesn’t diminish the pleasure of turning a page or going to the cinema.

Your streaming service may put the world of music at your fingertips, but it still feels good to drop the needle on a record.

Your AI agent can give you a truthful-sounding answer in seconds, but that doesn’t mean you have to forgo the pleasure of patiently learning about something in the library.

This all came to mind as I was having an early coffee at a favorite café early one recently. While most folks are scrolling their fist-sized screens, there’s one gentleman who comes in with a paper edition of the Chronicle under his arm. You may remember when every café was awash in newspapers. It’s unusual to see one now.

I thought about my own preference when I occasionally find myself eating alone. Personally, I find it relaxing to leaf through a printed magazine rather than scrolling my way down a tiny screen. I used to read Vanity Fair back when Graydon Carter was the editor — when he left, so did I. Lately it’s been The Atlantic, I’m thinking the New Yorker may be next.

The point is, just because there’s a newer and more “convenient” option, doesn’t mean that you have to adopt it. And if you do, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to abandon the old way. The beauty is in the balance.

It’s your dance through this world, and you can choose how to step as you like. Your pathway to progress is up to you. When traditions are kept alive they become living links to your history. Continuity is the key.

Thriving with you in the balance, much love till next Monday!

Merci et à bientôt!

M+

ML #651

Mark Metz
Monday Love Movement Calendar