I have noticed a contradiction between real world and complexity-driven knowledge, which shows that the changes that really dimension life are those rare, black swans; and the literature about self-improvement that emphasizes the accumulation of small, daily changes and improvements to achieve transformation.
According to one view, which seems to be quite applicable to nature changes and world history, momentous changes are those rare events like wars, catastrophes and unexpected crisis that remodel the world into something widely different.
According to the other view, we should seek progressive, continuous improvement to end up being significantly transformed thanks to the accumulation of changes. This same approach also applies to recommendations about retirement savings, thanks to the aggregation of returns over time: change upon change, compounded, becomes exponential.
Which one should we believe? Which one is true and the one to follow?
Because we live in an increasingly complex world, I would rather seek the momentous change, the crisis, the rupture, as the type of changes that really make sense and redefine our world and ourselves. It is probably the most effective. Seeking a real change may be more effective than progressive, incremental change.
This does not mean that continuous improvement and incremental change are not useful, but they are secondary in the shaping of ourselves and our world to major punctual changes.
