Further thoughts on fads and trends

David Zach the futurist quoted in the previous post had this further comment on fads: "I do want to point out that fads are not all bad. Some fads you shouldn't necessarily resist. Why? Because they're often a fun and necessary part of life. As one friend of mine explained in the way of a question, "Do you have enough fads in your life such that you're not boring?" Too many fads, such as can be ascribed to American culture, can pull an organization (or individual or nation) down. Not enough fads and I think the Soviet Union or the likes of the Taliban are equally doomed. You can resist fads and I mention any fad can be safely ignored. Resist or ignore too many of them and you're probably just dull. Embrace too many of them and you're irrelevant." More about the future at http://www.davidzach.com/

So what's the diference between a fad and a trend?

I just came across a keynote given by David Zach, a futurist based in Milwaukee. He was speaking at the 2003 International Public Works Congress and Exposition. Although Zach starts by admitting that it is impossible to predict the future, he passed on a methodology that can be used as a guide in making certain assumptions, in the form of his personal mantra: “Play with fads, work with trends, live by principles” He went on to say "A fad is something that you can safely ignore," he said. "Fads tend to be pushed-they tend to be top-down, a spice, a flavor. But think about your work. Can you follow fads? You have to resist them. "Trends can be from the ground up," he continued. "They tend to be based upon needs, not wants. And a trend is not something which you can safely ignore. You may not agree with it, you may want to fight against it; you may support it, you may want to work for it; but you have to think about it, you have to respond to it." Continuing with the final element of his mantra, Zach then stressed that a principle is "something that doesn't change-'We hold these truths to be self-evident' kind of a thing. The stuff you can stand on. Because in an age of constant change where everything is uncertain, decisions become easy when you know your values. You have to know what you believe, you have to know what doesn't change. You have to have a place to stand, because that's what the future is all about."