The examples above are not the only instances in history where progress has been impeded or a stall has occurred. Delays, or "Civilization Stalls" existed because people were used to doing things the way they had always done them and were bound by certain ways of thinking. One important fact that should help guide us is that our knowledge level of important changes sometimes precedes the application of things by 100-1000 years. The permanent settlement of the Americas by Europeans provides a useful example. This settlement was important because it lead to the development of an independent social and governmental base that was conducive to the development of things we all rely on. These include medical developments, social welfare, democracy, food production and world security.
While Europeans (Vikings) were visiting these lands 400-500 years before Columbus, they were forced to abandon their settlements or die out in response to their harsh physical environment and lack of communication with their homelands. However, their hostile relations with the Native Americans they encountered provided an even bigger challenge. Warfare in this case was the primary cause of our several hundred year setback in the permanent settlement of North America by Europeans. More importantly, this further shows that human interaction and communication can be tremendously critical impediments to progress.
Sometimes a stall in one area will help progress in another. Warfare is not solely an impediment to progress or a stall. In some cases, it has actually prompted the development of things which have advanced peace. The satellite, which the Soviets developed for propaganda and security purposes, we now use for navigational and communicational purposes. This allows for numbers of successful search and rescue operations each year, not to mention safer ocean and airline travel.
Besides the "warfare stall," there are many others. In this section we will present ones that we have thought of. We are especially interested in stalls which occur when humans interact. People working together sometimes produce stalls or make them worse.
Pick A Stall, Any Stall
Consider the following stalls we have identified. In each, people thought or behaved in a certain way that impeded progress and were often reluctant to change. We will be expanding these and hope you will help us with this.Get Moving
We need your thoughts on these questions and are also asking you for deeper insights into these stalls. Your responses will be kept confidential, unless you give us permission to use them on an attributed basis. However, if we directly use your ideas we will recognize you for them.
© 1996 Mitchell and Company | E-mail | Legal
© 1996 Developed by Interactive Media Advertising Group, Inc.
