4th Lesson

Another lesson of TWC! Personally a really fruitful lesson in terms of topics and issues discussed. And it was the first time we voted 10 for some presenters ;).

The issue of drivers of world change seemed to be a very hotly debated topic in the class, with the many opinions and debates that flew about when this topic was discussed. Professor Singh also mentioned on the difference between revolution and evolution. He defined evolution as change that comes progressively in a comfortable pace, such that most of those involved would be given time to adapt to the change. Revolution, in contrast, is the sudden change in beliefs that have considerable impacts on all fabrics of society. For revolution to occur, certain extraordinary leaders would have to lead it, and this was the issue discussed in the 2^nd half of the lesson.

The 2^nd half of the lesson focused on the issue of leaders of change and innovation. Professor Singh used the analogy of birds to explain his point, which I find pretty meaningful. Professor Singh believed that those who are leaders are akin to eagles, who soar high in the air to observe everything around them. When the opportunity arises, they would strike down with lethal accuracy. The followers tend to be normal birds, while those resistant to change were described, humorously although true, as dodo birds. Unwilling to adapt to new situations, this group of people would eventually find themselves lagging far behind others in society. While they would not die out like the dodo bird, the truth would be that this group of people would experience much difficulty in living in a changed society. A video on the concept of leadership was also shown, which I find very insightful. In it, a so-called “lone nut” decided to dance in front of a group of people. At first, he may look like a complete idiot; yet, as more and more people started to join in along with his dancing, those who were not dancing eventually became the idiot. This, in some aspects, bears resemblance to the start of a revolution of sorts.

The concept of leadership was an important factor that we learnt in lesson today. Without leadership, change would not have been able to occur. Yet, it must be noted that solitary leaders would never make a difference in society. To be a good leader, the individual must have the capability to attract people to join his cause, thereby helping to bring about the change.

On a whole, the recent lesson was carried out in very smooth manner. I do feel that maybe a few more videos can be shown to illustrate a concept more accurately.

I would rate the lesson an 8.5/10 again. Looking forward to next week’s class.