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By Heather Kantrud

Fergus Falls Daily Journal

We live in a whole new world — a world that has, for the most part, dismissed the idea of “beating” COVID-19 and that has come to terms with the fact that it will just be part of life moving forward.

Throughout the past few years, businesses and individuals have had to re-think the way they go about their daily lives because, most simply put, the former method of living just didn’t cut it anymore — something had to change. So, it did.

This isn’t new. Society is in a constant state of reinvention. Failing to evolve with society results in being left behind and, eventually, becoming irrelevant.

Sad? Yes. Realistic? Absolutely.

If you think back on your life and on how things have changed throughout your existence, I think you will come to the same conclusion.

It wasn’t that long ago that using a check as a method of payment was mostly phased out. There are still businesses here and there that will accept a check, but the internet has mostly taken over with debit/credit card processing or direct ACH payments from a bank account.

Speaking of checks, you don’t even have to go to a bank to make good on them anymore. Receive a check? Log into online banking and, odds are, you can deposit that check simply by submitting photos through the bank’s app or website.

The internet changed everything. So have cell phones. We can continue to examine the changes that have challenged the way society works, but I think you get the picture.

Change isn’t always bad. In most cases, change is brought about by a desire to improve — but, inevitably, change is scary … and scary is, in turn, avoided or discarded in the interest of good, old fashioned comfort. Eventually, though, the comfort is stripped away and discarded into the irrelevant pile and life moves forward.

There have been times in my life where I have fought change — and there will be more times in my life where I will fight change. It’s part of human nature. I do, however, choose to embrace change in the interest of betterment.

At the risk of sounding like a toddler, I find myself consistently asking the same question — why? Why do we do it that way? But, why was that decision made? Why can’t it be done differently? Why? Why? Why?

When digging into “how the way things have always been,” asking why is necessary! What if “the way it has always been” has only been so because of some long irrelevant reason? What if “the way it has always been” should change? How will anyone know if this is the case, if they don’t ask why?

“That’s the way it has always been” is my least favorite method of reasoning (excuse). It’s the enemy to forward progress and positive change — because its reasoning that, usually, cannot be supported because, in my opinion, no one wants to put the effort into making change — even if it is for the greater good.

Questions … change … work … progress.

Let’s challenge the status quo. Let’s ask questions to purposefully gain understanding and move antiquated systems forward. Let’s make the world a better place … even if that forward progress actually means taking a few steps back to right something that was wrong.

Change. We can do it.