Change is an occurrence of something that makes something become different to what it was before. Change can be embraced or it can be feared based on how the people and the environment affected perceive it. Change is perceived by the way the people and the environment is affected. Change can be helpful, it can be life changing, and it can be horrifying. These characteristics of change will determine whether it is to be perceived positively, negatively, or a combination of both.
Change can be perceived as a positive different. A real life example of a positive change is a promotion. Everyone strives to earn raises or promotions because it is a positive change. The one how earns a promotion gains a higher pay and more responsibility because their boss trusts that they are worthy. Another example is the poem “Magic Island” by Cathy Song. In the poem it says “a bit of luck has made him generous” saying that the change of countries for this family was a positive thing. It shows that they perceived the change of where they live was a positive change. In the writing Simplexity by Jeffrey Kulger, he describes how the layout of a room can be the difference in how the result of a disaster happens. He says that a well places post in a room can change the chaotic group of people into a more manageable stream. His analogy was how a rock in a river can change even the most chaotic flow of water into a rapid that together pushes in the same direction. This is perceived positively for it helps save the lives of many by allowing the escapes a safer way out. The effects of change on the people and environment determine how it will be perceived, which determines if the change will be embraced or feared.
Change can be perceived as positive but it can also be easily viewed as negative. A current event going on right now is the sickness Ebola. This sickness is perceived negatively not only because it is a sickness but it is one with a very high death rate and is feared. The worst thing that people understand is that Ebola can be easily looked over as just being a fever when it is actually a very dangerous disease. In the Novella Metamorphous by Franz Kafka, a young man named Gregor finds himself transformed into a vermin overnight. He was an unsociable workaholic who was driven to work because his family was in debt to Gregor’s boss and was working to pay it off. Because of his transformation, he had lost many of his human capabilities such as being able to easily get out of bed and walk. This was perceived as a negative change by his parents and himself because they knew he would no longer be able to work off the family debt. Effects of a change determine how it will perceived and whether it will be embraced or feared.
Change can be viewed as a positive thing or it can be perceived as a negative thing. Though it can be perceived as either positive or negative, it can also be perceived as both. A real life example that this can take place is moving to a new school. Loosing friends and the fear of not being able to make new ones can easily be perceived as negative. Going to a new school can be feared all together but there can also be positives to the change. New friends are to be made, a possible better education, and a better fit can all be perceived as a positive change. This makes moving schools both a positive and negative change which determines how the change will be viewed.
Finally, change can perceived as the opposite of what it is because of how it is viewed. This is greatly shown in the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In his book, a plane that is transporting kids away from the battlefield of war is shot down. The plane breaks in two and a half lands on a deserted island. The only people to live the crash are kids from the ages of 5 to 14. Having no parental guidance, they are forced to try to live with only themselves to rely on. This is a negative change because kids who are not made to look after themselves are forced to do just that. While most are scared and perceived it as a negative change, a few kids took up the role of leadership and looked at the positives over the negatives and were able to attempt to create a type of civilization between the survivors. This shows that how change is perceived determines how change is viewed.
The way that people perceive and react to change determines whether it is viewed as a positive change, negative change, or a combination. It also determines whether the change is to be embraced or to be feared by the ones affected and the ones that can be affected. In its own way, the people and the environment affected create change by choosing whether the difference created is viewed and perceived.