Living in the Dynamic World
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 2.17.2018
Not long ago, we kept hearing the news that online commerce was taking over brick and mortar shops. Now we learn that Amazon is going offline to buy Whole Foods Market and other merchants to pursue an integrated online-offline commerce. Meanwhile, stores like Walmart and Target are going online to expand their reach. The pendulum of commerce is swinging both ways.
Similarly, in democracy, the populism movement is trying to break away from the grip of elitism in many countries. Protests and demonstrations are commonplace and gaining more power. Sometimes such movements prevent the government from doing anything strategic and important that may be unpopular to a vocal special interest group.
Even in culture, the debates are heating up as to the value of diversity and uniformity. A diverse culture, just like a sustainable bio-system, is much stronger than a uniform society in dealing with uncertainty and change. Yet, in the US, the pendulum of the new administration seems to be swinging back to uniformity.
According to industry leaders, there is a lack of employable talent. According to new graduates, there are very limited job openings. This posts a dilemma for educators. Do we educate more generalists who can define their own future or do we train specialists who can hit the ground running for their employers?
The answers to all of the above may not be obvious. But in a dynamic world, the pendulum will always swing back and forth, and the Yin and Yang will be an endless cycle of perpetual motion. Balance and optimization are not static, but rather a part of continuous change.
Such awareness is the basis and art of living in the dynamic world.
生存在動態的世界裡
–作者 許俊宸博士
–中譯 薛乃綺
就在不久前，我們持續聽到有關線上商店接手實體店鋪的消息。現在我們却发现，亞馬遜正在進攻線下實體店面，買下Whole Food Grocery及其他商家，以追求一種線上線下整合式的新商務模式。而像沃爾瑪及塔吉這樣的商店，則試圖擴大它們的線上版圖。这像鐘擺一樣，線上線下兩種商務模式正向兩端不斷擺動。
同樣地，在民主國家中，民粹主義運動正試圖擺脫許多國家菁英主義的束縛。抗議與示威變得普遍、而且強勢。有時候，這樣的運動會箝制在位者，不敢得罪这些特殊族群，做出对他们不利的事。而放弃了许多战略性或重要性的策略，让国家没有长期的作为。
即使在文化方面，關於‘多樣性’與‘一統性’的辯論也持續升溫。多樣的文化，就像是一個永續發展的生態系統，比起一致性的系統更有能力去因應突發的不確定性與外在變化。然而，在美國，新政府的鐘擺似乎又回到了一統性的社會。这长期的影响，也颇令人担心。
近来，產業界嘆习缺乏可用的新人才、而新畢業生卻又找不到合適的工作。這對教育界者來說無疑是個困境。我們是否要培養更多的一般生，讓他們能自主決定未來的方向；還是培養可以符合業界需求的專業生。
上述所有的答案似乎都不是顯而易見的。但在動態的世界裡，鐘擺往往會來回擺動、陰跟陽也會永無止境的律動循環。平衡與優化並非是靜止不動的，而只是持續循環變化的一部分。也是易经所说的‘立天之道曰陰与陽，立地之道曰柔与刚，立人之道曰仁与義’。
这就是生存在動態世界裡的認知与艺术。
