The world is changing at this very moment, as it has been for thousands of years. Life today is not the same as it was yesterday, nor will it be identical to tomorrow. Lives are changing, but this change does not affect merely the lives of individuals. Society as a whole is constantly undergoing modifications and other changes, both beneficially and unfavorably. People do not always readily accept this change. For ages, writers and great philosophers have been trying to discover the reasons that society makes an effort to resist this change, which comes through innovators and their new ideas. One piece of literature that attempts to solve the issue of societies resisting change is the essay “Individual Liberty and Public Control” by Bertrand Russell. He makes several points as to why societies resist change. Russell narrows the points down to three main reasons, being an “instinct of conventionality”, “feeling of insecurity”, and “vested interests” (Russell 1). These reasons can be applied to other works of literature, such as William Shakespeare’s drama The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, in which people resist changes and the opinions of various innovators. While it is true that the characters and events of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar manifest Russell’s reasons why society resists change, the underlying motive for each of these reasons in the Julius Caesar is the human nature’s selfish ambition and desire for personal gain.
One of Russell’s reasons why society resists change is the “instinct of conventionality”, which is a part of the status quo; and people do not want this standard, accepted status quo broken because it will put them in a place of unpreparedness and set them up for failure (Russell 1). One example of the status quo...
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...y also make clear not only the underlying selfish motives of common people, but also the abilities. In societies all around the world, people are initiating or resisting change as the Romans did. Every citizen has the power and the right to stand up for the causes they believe in; moreover, it is each citizen’s duty to do so. Each individual in the general public is not only a citizen, but also an active part of the government, because people have the responsibility to be the difference that they want to see in humanity, and change can start with just one person.
Works Cited
Russell, Bertrand. "Individual Liberty and Public Control" 1 Mar. 2011. Class Handout.
Concordia International School Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine.
New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print.
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