May you live in interesting times.
I have heard it quite a few times and wished others even more. It has chinese origin and was used by JFK in his Day of affirmation address at Cape Town, South Africa. As mentioned in wikipedia the phrase is a part of a curse Chinese curse the other two being
- May you come to the attention of those in authority.
- May you find what you are looking for.
Wikipedia mentions this phrase as a curse that could have come up from another chinese phrase "It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period।" But I seriously do not consider this to be a curse and consider it as a good thing, which is the sole reason for me writing a blog on this issue.
Chaotic times is a perspective. It is a time of change and reconciliation. And this change can be good for some and not so for others. Most people despise the changes that they have in their lives. Almost everybody, has a part of his or her life which is routine. Be it work or home. And when a change is being forced upon, every one despises it.
Consider a case when one company gets acquired by another company. Even though the employees might realize that the changes that are coming in the company are for good, they despise the fact that is being forced upon them. And then the regular bitching at the water cooler starts. But I guess at these times, people who readily accept the changed circumstances and begin to play within the changed paradigm benefit the most.
There have been cases where change in single government regulation has wiped out hundreds of businesses. But many of them have still managed to thrive, since they started to accept the new reality and act accordingly.
Any change that occurs in life, when forced upon just changes the paradigm in which we play. It might open up issues unheard of, opportunities unthought of. The first step to handle the situation is to accept the new reality. The next step beings when you start devising strategies to coup the situation.
