Resistance is Futile

According to the Borg of Star Trek fame, “Resistance is futile.” Characters in the popular sci-fi franchise couldn’t successfully resist being assimilated into the Borg Collective and were turned into hybrid organic/cybernetic beings and became part of the hive mind. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that resisting change can indeed be futile – or fatal in the case of the COVID-19 virus.

Businesses that were able to adapt to the social distancing and shelter-at-home restrictions, and that did so early on, have faired better than those that either waited too long or are still waiting for our way of life to go “back to normal.” It’s been over a year and things may never return to a pre-pandemic norm. But that could be a good thing.

It’s human nature to resist change until it’s forced upon us. We tend to see only the bad that results from unwelcome changes. However, taking into account the adage that necessity is the mother of invention, consider all the new businesses and services that have popped up or expanded since mid-2020. For example, the production of fashionable face masks was one way people adapted and created new businesses that wouldn’t have otherwise existed.

Food delivery services also cover more areas now and include more grocery stores and restaurants. More restaurants deliver meals than ever before, either with their own employees or through third party businesses. Some have even modified their menus to include family-style meals for four or more people. Curbside pickup is another alternative to drive-thru dining. And outdoor dining is no longer reserved for the quaint European-style bistros.

Expanded grocery delivery was desperately needed even before the pandemic by people who had to rely on family or friends to take them to the stores or to shop for them, or whose limited choices forced them to shop only in places near public transportation. The people who are now able to receive the service and those hired to provide it have benefited from this forced change.

Despite experiencing the worst economy since the Great Depression, there were about 800 thousand small businesses in the United States in 2020 that had been in operation for less than a year. New e-commerce businesses gained popularity for a variety of reasons, but many were likely started due to loss and/or reduction of work because of the pandemic.

Adapt and change or risk losing everything. Change is inevitable. How we handle it makes all the difference.

There is no challenge in the comfort zone; and without challenge, there can be no growth, no improvement, and no progression. The only things that thrive in the comfort zone are cynicism and apathy. Complacency inspires nothing but stagnation.

While no one wants horrible things to happen, sometimes that’s what it takes to give us the push we need to make changes – changes the general public may not have even realized were necessary because the status quo had little to no negative effects on them. However, those people who desperately needed changes, like grocery delivery, reaped an unexpected benefit out of an otherwise terrible situation. 

Some changes are good, like the rise in entrepreneurial endeavors, while others are obviously not. Many people lost their jobs and their homes. Over a half a million people died from the COVID-19 virus. Having to wear a face mask may be inconvenient or uncomfortable, but if it helps stop the spread of this disease, it’s a small price to pay. 

Several of my favorite stores have closed for good, and it saddens me to know that I’ll never be able to stroll through their aisles again. However, my lack of entertainment is also not as significant as the loss of income those employees experienced as a result of the closures.

Of course, some people carried the notion of change too far by storming the capital building in January, but attempting to force a change through violence is not the answer. Ignoring politics over the last four years was next to impossible, and even though we can breathe a little easier with a new president at the helm, we can’t tune out what’s happening in the world.

Things always get worse before they get better.

But have we already seen the worst or is that yet to come? Are we prepared for the possibility of a more difficult way of life than we have now? If not, will we rise to the challenge? The answer is that no matter what happens, we have to find a way through it. I believe we can. We have survived before and we will again. 

And, as before, we will turn our hardships into something inspiring that will catapult us into the next era marked by ground-breaking changes and innovations.

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