The Lessons of OZ
Frank J. Navran
Dorothy was carried from Kansas to Oz by a tornado- a powerful, unpredictable and uncontrollable force of nature. It landed her in a place where everything was different, a place, frankly, where she didn’t want to be and from which she desperately wanted to escape. She longed for the safe and secure Kansas where things were as she remembered.
Many people today see the world changing around them and feel a similar sense of being displaced. They remember a kinder, gentler, more stable past. Today’s world feels a bit like Oz. Technology changes faster than we can keep up. The world map is full of names and places that we never learned about in school. Our political beliefs are challenged by the continuing redefinition of our friends and foes. Our workplace is full of downsizing, restructuring and uncertainty. Change has become so regular that many feel as though control of their lives is just beyond their fingertips – just out of reach.
Dorothy could blame the tornado for taking her away and the Wicked Witch of the West for blocking her return. Wanting to blame something or someone for the undesired events in our lives is a natural response.
So, who is at fault for all the bad things that change is bringing to us?
Change cannot be blamed on a wicked witch, but most people feel it must be somebody's fault. In our search for a villain, we settle on a vague collective sense of those we imagine to be in control: we call them “leaders”. Surely “they” did it. The bad is their fault.
Some take their cue from the Scarecrow's lament: if only they had a brain. The chaos we are experiencing must result from their incompetence. They should have anticipated and prepared us for the rapidity and severity of all that is new. After all, they are in charge. They should have seen it coming.
Some take a cue from the Tin Woodsman: if only they had a heart. Change can be blamed on leaders who substituted personal ambition for compassion. If they cared about us and the people like us they would never have led us down this path. They would have worked harder to preserve what was good about the past.
The Cowardly Lion's lament serves others: if only they had courage. They could have said, "No." If they had had the courage to do the right thing, whatever that might have been, then we wouldn't be in this mess now.
But notice, “they” are to blame. It is never our fault.
Returning to Kansas
In Oz, Dorothy just wants to find the Wizard so he can tell her how to get back to Kansas, where everything is the way it is supposed to be. She wants to be magically transported back to the old, comfortable reality.
As the victims and survivors of change we also want to be transported. We want to be taken back to a land that moves at a manageable pace, where we can plan a future for us and our children. We wish for a place where there are fewer surprises.
Well, there is no Wizard. There are no ruby slippers. And there is no one to blame. Change is not just a reality. It is our reality. And it will not get slower. In fact, it will get faster at an accelerating rate. Like the tornado, change is an unpredictable and unstoppable force.
And, what about our leaders? “They” are not villains. They are people, most of whom are simply doing the best they can with what they have.
But aren't they incompetent? Some are. And so are we, sticking to time honored practices and beliefs long after they have lost their utility. Letting momentum carry us along, rather than seeking and embracing what is good about the new.
But, aren't they self-centered? Some are. And so are we, insisting on preserving what served our needs in the past rather than focusing on newer, creative solutions for the future.
But aren't they cowardly, heartless, all of those things we desperately wish them to be, so we can blame them for our hard times? Some are. And, by not taking personal responsibility for what happens next, so are we.
Taking Charge
Some in Oz may have been mindless, heartless or cowardly. Others might have been particularly intelligent, compassionate, or courageous. Ultimately, that mattered less to Dorothy and her success than Dorothy herself. Here she was, transported, against her will, a stranger in this alien and sometimes hostile environment. Like many of us in the face of overwhelming change, she began her adventures bewildered, uncertain, fearful and worried. How was it that she survived?
There were four keys to Dorothy's success:
Goals - She knew what she was trying to accomplish. She had a clear and specific set of short-term and long-term goals. Follow the yellow brick road. Get to the Emerald City. See the Wizard. Kill the wicked witch. Look after Toto. Return to Kansas.
Persistence - Dorothy never lost sight of those goals despite the many short-term distractions Oz held in store. Whether it was sleepy poppies, flying monkeys, a stubborn gatekeeper or a fraud of a Wizard, Dorothy never gave up.
Adaptation - She continually changed her tactics to meet the challenges she found there. The goals were constants. Her commitment never waivered. Her short-term tactics reflected the immediate reality. Her long-term goals stayed essentially unchanged.
Responsibility - Dorothy came to realize she could not depend on anyone else to solve her problems. The Wizard and the good witch tried to help in whatever ways they could. But the ultimate responsibility for attaining success was hers. The leaders were not capable of getting her what she wanted. The created the context. Success was a function of her ability to creatively and positively negotiate a path through all that was changing around her.
Our Reality
Unlike the case with Dorothy, the changes we face are not a dream. Yet neither are the lessons of goals, persistence, adaptation and personal responsibility. We need to move beyond assigning blame to brainless, heartless, cowardly leaders.
We need to get on with the work of attaining success. We need to set life goals and to persist in achieving those goals. We need to try new ways of succeeding when the old ways fail. But most of all, we need to understand that success is our personal responsibility.
Though “they” make decisions that do affect us, ultimately it is we who must deal with the situations that result. The lesson of Oz is that if anyone has control, it is we that have it. We can set our goals and follow our own paths, fight our own battles. While we cannot be assured of the success of our actions, we can be certain that accepting responsibility for those actions is the yellow brick road that will lead us to our personal Emerald City.