Sunday, September 28, 2014

What kind of systems will pass the test of time?

My immediate answer would be almost nothing, probably for time itself,  but then we shall restrict our length of  'time' to few generations, and then analyze.

An inflexible system that does not allow change to happen, and therefore being rigid cannot with stand the test of time, and eventually will collapse, however strong it may look at a given point in time. Here, I am using the phrase 'test of time' in a very abstract sense, as it is very difficult to predict what time will throw at.

Only flexible systems, that allow change, and therefore adapt and evolve can potentially pass the test of time. Let us look at few examples. Take the case of language, English as a language is able to stand for centuries now, not only because it has been the language of the rulers of the past centuries, but also it ability to assimilate (absorb) words and constructs of other languages, and evolving continuously with new words getting introduced from various fields, including science and technology.

We all know the fate of various systems of governance practiced in different countries across the world. The testimony of non-democratic systems of governance had shown us that a rigid system will eventually collapse one day, while a democratic system that has an inbuilt mechanism to accept change and evolve with it will survive for long.

Therefore one can safely conclude that, only a system that has tolerance and acceptance for change alone will survive for long, which shall make the system flexible and adaptable. A system that does not allow for adaptability will eventually shrink in its mass before eventually collapsing under its own weight.

However, this does not mean a completely arbitrary and flexible system will survive the test of time. It will not only lead to chaos, but also will come up with a random order, thanks to the 'incentive mechanism' and 'herd mentality' that will get automatically inherited into most of the systems.

So, the conclusion is that a system has to be well-balanced between rigidity and flexibility, so that it can produce the desired (or even wonderful) results and has more probability to survive the test of time. This again points out to my concept of Art of Delicate Balancing.

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