The Principle of Change–The Pulse of Life in Systems Thinking
On Change Change is often misunderstood as the enemy of stability—a force that disrupts order, tradition, and social cohesion. Yet this notion is fundamentally mistaken. The world exists because it is driven by change. Change is not the adversary of stability but its precondition, the pulse of life that animates the universe. In the framework of systems thinking, change represents the continuous process of adaptation through which systems maintain viability and coherence in the face of internal and external pressures. Every stable system is not static but dynamic, sustained by feedback loops that balance renewal and continuity. We witness the vitality of change in the natural world every moment of our lives. From the instant a person wakes, they embark on a journey of transformation. It may appear like yesterday, yet physiologically and psychologically, it is not. Every heartbeat, every breath, every shifting thought registers a new state. Cells die and regenerate; the seasons turn; stars are born and extinguished. Nature itself demonstrates that stability is not the absence of change but its product—a pattern sustained through perpetual adaptation. As Capra (1996) observes, living systems exist “at the edge of chaos,” where order emerges not through stillness but through self-organizing processes of transformation. On Change and Human Rights The same principle applies to human societies. Social systems, like ecosystems, depend on dynamic equilibrium. Policies, norms, and institutions must evolve in response to new realities, moral insights, and environmental constraints. In relation to human rights, it is through change that […]