Staying the Same in a World of Change

Someone once said, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” I’m still thinking about what this means. We have witnessed a lot of change in these past two years since Covid hit, so I’m wondering what exactly has stayed the same?

Sometimes change happens quickly, like when your kids grow 6 inches in a year, and it seems they go from age 2 to 11 overnight. The days are long, but the years are short. Kids grow up and it seems adults grow out, or at least that’s been my experience. Sometimes our hopes and dreams change over time, perhaps our real-life experiences teach us some hard life lessons and we lose a bit of that youthful exuberance and naïve energy. The world can be a tough place, but I hope we don’t lose hope entirely. In some parts of the world right now I’m sure hope is seemingly lost.

Bethany has changed quite a bit since our humble beginnings in 1965. But so has the world. I hope that the good news is that while we have changed, we have also stayed the same, at least where it counts. I hope that we have stayed the same in our mission, our compassion, and our desire to serve the community. I hope we have stayed the same in the quality of our people, our team, those people who have come to work here over the years not just for a job, but for the opportunity to do rewarding work in service to others. I hope we have stayed the same in our desire to grow and to do more and to adapt to our times, so that we can remain relevant. I hope that we have continued to provide clean, safe, and affordable housing to our residents, because that is what we set out to do 57 years ago. Staying the same when it comes to values, commitment, and mission isn’t a bad thing at all.

Change isn’t always fun, but it isn’t always bad either. And no matter what we do, change is going to happen. Some would say “embrace change”. I think that’s good advice. It’s going to happen either way, so let’s get on board. And remember, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Just stay the same where it really matters. Perhaps that original quote was meant in a sarcastic or pessimistic tone, but when looking at who we are, I think it’s good news. May we all continue to change, and also to stay the same.

“Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.” - French

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” - English

French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr