The French are credited with saying that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The phrase is less elegant when expressed in English.  Perhaps the most frequently quoted line of Guiseppe di Lampedusa’s novel ‘The Leopard’ is the Prince’s acceptance that ‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.’ George Orwell wrote, in his essay ‘The Lion and the Unicorn’, of England having ‘the power to change out of recognition and yet remain the same.’ Friedrich Hayek wrote of ‘the fatal conceit’ of those people who believe that central control and planning of a country’s economic output is possible, and even desirable. These are only a handful of examples of a history of observation and understanding of the challenges in achieving meaningful change in a society. Change is endless, although superficial unless the emotions of the people change. Continue reading →