I HAVE not been to the South Pole but I have been to the South Pole Inn twice. This is a cosy pub in Annascaul in the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry and it lives to tell the story of how a local man, Tom Crean, took part in three Antarctic expeditions in the first two decades of the 20th century. There is an artistic display of his life achievements on the ceiling which is worth craning the neck for.
This is an example of taking the leap. It calls for dogged determination and resolve that not many will dare venture because of self-imposed limitations. Taking the leap is to go for something at all costs.
Tony Evans, a writer who visited South Africa, observes that the impala is a fast runner and known for its leaping ability, reaching heights of up to 3m but can still be contained in a zoo enclosure with a metre-high wall. The impala does not jump because it cannot see where it will land. The impala remains trapped in its self-imposed limitations.
In contrast, Stoffel the honey badger will stop at nothing to escape his enclosure at Moholoholo Rehab Centre in South Africa. It is amazing how this escape artist can make use of almost anything to try to get out of its man-made enclosure.
Times have changed and the worst thing is to be caught in the middle.
It is like being caught in the tectonic shift and there is nothing you can do about it.
As an illustration, the Earth’s crust, called the lithosphere, consists of 15 to 20 moving tectonic plates. The plates are like pieces of a cracked shell that rest on the hot, molten rock of Earth’s mantle and fit snugly against one another.
The heat from radioactive processes within the planet’s interior causes the plates to move, sometimes toward and sometimes away from each other. We can’t really see this happening but it is happening.
I have lived in the pre-computerised era and now have just enough computer knowledge to get by but not as techno savvy as the little 4 year old next door.
I salute senior citizens who sign up for computer and digital photography classes. It is simply amazing to hear that these people also Skype their children or grandchildren (who live on the other side of the world) and make use of Instagram and hashtags even.
Having said that, there are many who refuse to learn anything new and prefer to stick to what they are comfortable with.
Even the job market scene has changed. Many people in my generation would have held on to one job for most of our lives. We call that loyalty to the firm or just being content with our lot. Now, we hear of headhunters who identify potential workers even when they are still in university. There are also enterprising students who seek out contacts and internship experience way before they graduate.
The procedure of writing out a resume and waiting for the interview seems rather outdated these days. It is not surprising, too, that job change is rather frequent especially with the promise of better pay or benefits.
Adjusting to change is never easy. Taking the leap to do something different is even harder. Is there something that we have always longed for but have never tried? Are we waiting for the opportunity or are we creating the opportunity?
It is strange but are we hardwired to be negative rather than positive? According to psychologists like Roy F. Baumister, Ellen Tratslavsky, Kathleen Vohs and Catrin Finkenauer negative experiences or the fear of them have a greater impact on people than positive ones.
A study by John Cacioppo and his colleagues showed that our attitudes are more heavily influenced by bad news than good news.
So, we can either be the impala or the honey badger. The greatest fear is to step out. But once we have done so and are happy with our choice, then we wonder why we never did it much earlier.
The writer was a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara and now spends her days enjoying life as it is