Backward Thinking

There's always a great resistance on this planet to new thought. I'm sure I'm not the only one who have experienced violent opposition from mediocre minds. I'm not putting myself on a higher ground but there are things that I cannot take in this society anymore. One is dealing with a still backward thinking community. Don't get me wrong though, I am from a backward thinking society. However, as a recently civilized savage, it just happened that I'm aware of all the shit now.

I remember all that I had gone through when I used to work for this top tour operator in Cusco. I was tasked to improve their booking system and I accepted it because I like changing things, especially if it will increase productivity and help with my workload. I also liked the idea that the boss had put his trust in my skills. However, being a foreigner in this country who had new ideas, I faced a great deal of resistance. There are days I can work backward too as it really depends on the situation. I think being a partial backward thinker can be good when you are trying to come up with solutions based on past experiences.

My colleagues did not want to use the system simply because they did not want to change things. I went through all the effective training methods and even just to teach them how to share google sheets and create hyperlinks on email. Oh man, that alone took hours. They wouldn't even exert any effort to learn it on their own but then at the same time they wouldn't like to be under my training command. It was like forcing patience in me to spoonfeed a bunch of children. They did not want to switch from manual to automated because it was just how it had always been. There was no doubt that the Peruvian girls despised me and were trying hard to be lowly office bullies. Never again will I subject myself to such kind of torture. I'm glad I'm out of that typical work scene. Now see what I mean? I just have little patience for this kind of backward mentality. One of the reasons I prefer to start my own company is that I want to have full control over how things should be. I'd rather be a tyrant to myself and my own life.

I understand people like to stay within their comfort zone, who doesn't? The cliche "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies. Sometimes you don't really need to implement these ridiculous changes, do you? However, most of the time people just need to, just take a look around, don't you think that change is needed badly? Massive change.

Lately, I was trying to order some things for business that have to be transported from another city to this town. During these muddy and stormy days, it's just hard for me to travel and buy stuff. It is normal to look for convenience in everything. Guess what, the company still does not have some form of online payment, not even bank transfer. Actually, most businesses still operate like that around here and it makes you want to bang your head against the wall. In this day and age, those who deliver products and services should have already taken care of the most convenient payment method for their client first things first. They will still make you go to a payment center and wait in line. Even the banks still work backward. You still have to go to the bank and wait in line. The so-called online payment methods and debit cards still make you go to a bank to top up and wait in line too. You spend your whole life waiting. Sorry but no, I don't need to be patient, I just need change.

That's what you get in a society of community-minded people. They still don't mind human connection which is slowly being taken away in modern societies. The neighborliness around here still exists, people don't mind chatting with strangers while waiting in line. People don't snub their neighbors. People don't see others as a threat. They don't get suspicious of the kindness of strangers because it is normal to experience warmheartedness around here. They just cannot survive without the other.

On the other hand, individualist societies prefer to be under the tyranny of modern convenience. The idea is to make everything is easy, modern and developed. Paved roads, modern transportation system, convenient payment methods, proper urban housing and of course, all at the expense of taxpayers. You have to either be trapped in a job you probably hate to afford these 'convenient things' or try to make it on your own. If you can. Otherwise, the biggest mistake you'll ever make is to be poor in this society, you'll be deemed insignificant. It would be hard to find people to help you as they tend to look down on the poor. For them, it's a sign you didn't make and not like you're just a victim of a system that enslaves humanity. Modernity has its costs. It does not necessarily equate to being happier, more patient, understanding and trusting. The modern society is slowly taking away the things that make you a nicer member of the planet. There's simply no ethics in this system.

Due to my personality disorders, I've just grown into becoming more of an individualist, but it is just me actually. I still don't mind being civil to all and a good friend to a few ones. I don't oppose the preservation of neighborliness or community-mindedness as people are social creatures no matter what. Modern conveniences simply won't give you the necessary oxygen to survive - human connection.

The downside of backward-thinking is that it prevents growth, people get stuck in the past. I hate the lame reason 'it is what it is'. When I questioned things during my travels, 'it is what it is' is the usual and most annoying answer of the locals. It's like a hopeless resignation. Clinging to this 'it is what it is' belief only perpetuates backward thinking. It kills innovation. I believe that we can still have a developed society that encourages people to advance and utilize their full potential without sacrificing ethics and community-mindedness. Without sacrificing the things that really give happiness and meaning to people's lives.