All societies change in some ways over time, although those changes are often gradual and can be in either a good or bad direction. It’s incredibly difficult to intentionally change anything about society in a healthy way. While there are many reasons for this, one that often gets overlooked is the fact that to change one thing requires also changing many other things.
As an example, consider what would happen if everyone consistently got enough quality sleep, which is something Matthew Walker strongly advocates in Why We Sleep. Some of the benefits would include fewer total deaths, fewer diseases, fewer car crashes, better outcomes in hospitals for both patients and staff, longer lifespans, greater quality of life, less stress, improved relationships, and better school performance. In addition to immediately solving many existing problems, there would also be a much greater likelihood of solving many other problems. With that in mind, why is sufficient quality sleep the exception rather than the norm? I think the main reason is because of all of the societal changes that it would take to make that happen.
Some of those changes include different start/pickup times for school; changes in the start/end times of work shifts, flexible working hours, no shifts longer than a certain length, and taking breaks early in the afternoon for a nap; no more late night parties, games, excursions, study sessions, or anything else; different types of lighting and use of lighting, especially for devices that emit blue light; decreased use of technology, especially devices with screens; better stress management; less use of alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs that interfere with sleep; no more daylight saving time; major changes in travel between different time zones; and altered expectations around when things will be finished, including construction projects, the arrival of delivered products, etc. Imagine how hard it would be to change any one of the above. Think about all the resistance, fighting, and transitional challenges that have appeared whenever there’s been an attempt to make even one minor change in society. Now imagine trying to change everything on the above list.
There is always resistance to change, particularly when a change comes by force. However, even changes that are voluntary and would make things better for everyone are still resisted due to the status quo bias. The status quo bias involves someone thinking that the way things are now is the way they should be or inevitably will be, and that makes them reluctant to even attempt major changes. There is also the fact that so much of societal activity is built on habits, and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg discusses how habits are essentially shortcuts that allow us to save brainpower for more strenuous tasks. Because of this, ingrained habits are incredibly difficult to change; the longer they’ve been ingrained, the more likely they are to be permanent. As hard as it is for an individual to change habits, it’s vastly harder for everyone in even a small society to change habits around anything, much less everything in life.
These are some causes of the difficulties in trying to make large-scale positive changes. At this point, I focus primarily on making things better in my own life and in the lives of those close to me. My focus for most of this year and last year has been healing from losing my dog Sawyer. That has gotten me to a place emotionally such that, regardless of how anyone else acts, I feel pretty good most of the time. Aside from making my own life better, the benefits of this can spread to those with whom I interact. Just as a bad mood is contagious, so is a good mood. If I’m feeling good and treating others well, that will positively affect them and everyone who crosses paths with them. Even if this produces no massive upheavals in society, it still makes the world a slightly better place. That’s all any one person can do: make the world slightly better or slightly worse. I’m trying to make it slightly better. How about you?