Maintaining Continuity, Creating Change

Let me begin this entry by acknowledging right upfront that some of my best friends are people. In fact, I was even raised by people. I lived among them, learned many of their habits , such as how they dress, foods they prefer, and a number of their recreational activities, and have become so immersed in their culture that often times I am able to easily blend in with them without any fear of being singled out as being different. Perhaps one day I will do some kind of super study on all that I have learned and observed. Until that time, I am glad I made the choice to align myself with people as opposed to, say, moray eels or cockatoos.

One observation of mine is that people like continuity. They gravitate toward routine even though the specifics of everyone's routine is not always the same. For instance, they have their favorite restaurants, television shows and even pattern of getting dressed each day. Those constants, small in the grand scheme of things, often help make the difference between whether a person feels their day has gone well. It is such consistency that provides people with a sense of security and safety. At the same time, these same creatures recognize and accept the inevitability of change and variations of routines they have established for themselves.

One of the groups within the human species - public relations practitioners - have the daunting challenge of helping fellow humans maintain continuity but often doing so in ways that reflect change. People want consistency, yet do not always want it delivered in a constant manner. An example is the consistency of making money. One group of humans - business people - embrace the regularity of profit, yet often want this result to be carried out in ways that vary from effort to effort. It is the public relations practitioner or communicator that plays a leading role in giving them the continuity they crave via changes they want.