|The South Marysburgh Mirror | WHO NEEDS CHANGE ? The dog and I dislike change, and probably for the same reason. Let’s say that we put up a screen door to celebrate summer. Well, both the dog and I will crash into it a couple of times before we become used to it, even if it was me who installed the door . So the dog doesn’t like it and I don’t like it because our lives are in an accustomed rut, and we’ve found we prefer predicta- bility. I have another reason, too. Once a change is made, the person who changed things is instantly smart- er than me. That’s not much to brag about, but still... This is the same mind set as when there are dou- ble glass doors in a commercial building and sadists un- lock only one of them. They are then able to chuckle silently as feeble old people struggle to open the side that is locked, and young people in a hurry crash into that same immoveable side. Heed this complaint, Picton Medical Centre. The world is as changeable as a baby’s diaper, and I’m not overly fond of the people who make it that way. These are your “agents of change.” People who will make us uncomfortable with the present situation, and by doing so, make themselves more comfortable. I sold computers for a living. I was one of these agents, and I believe my customers disliked me because I forced them out of their comfort zone. They sold clothing or walnuts or whatever, and I was paid to persuade them to transform their business by computerizing it. I knew more than they did about computers, they knew more than I did about plumbing wholesaling or meat packing, but for this particular decision, at this particular mo- ment, their knowledge didn’t count for much. All their more than they did about computers, they knew more than I did about plumbing wholesaling or meat packing, but for this particular decision, at this particular moment, their knowledge didn’t count for much. All their competitors were doing it, getting computers, so they had to follow suit or eat their dust. We just had a municipal election. Every candidate I heard was busy putting forward their plea for change. I guess I’m in the minority be- cause I feel that our local government is pretty good. OK, not perfect, but pretty good. If we paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars, we’d maybe get smarter people, but people wouldn’t run for office out of civic duty, they might do it because they were crooked. Change for the sake of change is not transformative, it’s just wasted effort, like a corporation with a new “mission statement“ every few months. It will be interesting to see the prom- ises unravel as our new councilors discover that their promises are not that easy to keep. ..or maybe they knew that...or maybe I’m cynical. Apropos of political change, I have to add this quote from the Niagara Falls, N.Y. newspaper on November 9". “With New York facing a pro- jected $9 billion deficit next year, Gov.-elect An- drew Cuomo said there’s no room for new taxes or buying the states way our of fiscal trouble, when addressing New York legislators in Puerto Rico.” I think I can suggest one way to reduce the deficit. Hold meetings in Buffalo. Continued on page 7 People say, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Maybe that’s right, but it may be that this old dog doesn’t want to leam new tricks. He OYALISy (4 Locally owned and operated micro-roaster of single origin and blended coffees. “Taste the Difference” Available at: Hick’s General Store & Milford Market Square