107: Change

Questions about the Video File:

1. What is cheese a metaphor for?
2. How could Sniff and Scurry help each other collaboratively to locate cheese?
3. What was the special privilege of the mice in comparison to the two little people to deal with the cheeseless problem?
4. Among the four characters of the story, which one do you like to be similar to? Why?
5. What does the maze in the story represent in your life?

Please leave a response to the following question as a comment: 

What is the major obstacle to any positive change in your life?

General Questions:

1. How can you make sure that the change you are making to your life right now is for the better and not for the worse?
2. In a marriage, do you think it is possible to change the personality and attitude of your spouse (husband or wife)?
3. Why is it really difficult to go through some major changes in your overall attitude to life?
4. How can you determine it is high time you considered some changes in your behavior and attitude?
5. Some people believe that you could be a phoenix. i.e. burn yourself and rise again from your ashes, or revolutionize yourself. What do you think about it?

Related Quotes:

• “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future” (John F. Kennedy).
• “When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves” (Viktor E. Frankl).
• “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often” (Winston Churchill).

Related Idioms and Expressions:

1. Shape up or ship out: Used to warn somebody to improve their behavior or leave a place or position:
   • The CEO addressed the irresponsible employees, warning them that they should shape up or ship out. 
2. Old habits die hard: Used to say that it’s very difficult for people to change their deep-rooted habits and behaviors:
   • It’s difficult to resist temptations when you are on a diet because old habits die hard.
3. A leopard cannot change its spots: It is rather unexpected of people to change their habits that are firmly internalized.
   • She promised me that she would never tell any other lies and I trusted her, which was a complete fiasco. After all, a leopard cannot change its spots.
4. Maintain / present / defend the status quo: To keep things as they are without changing them:
   • The committee desperately requested some reform in the overall policies of the institution, but the principal maintained the status quo.
5. Make the best of a bad bargain: Make some changes in something to improve it:
   • Although the company went bankrupt and Mr. Richardson, the manager, was in the hole, he could eventually make the best of a bad bargain and restore his reputation.
6. Change horses in the midstream: Make dramatic changes in the course of an activity while it is rather too late:
   • We cannot allow for any further unnecessary changes in the course of action from such a fickle director. Somebody should tell him that changing horses in the midstream is no longer acceptable.
7. Be stuck in a rut: Be in a dead end where there is no prospect of progress:  
   • No matter how hard we tried to improve the situation, it was as if we were badly stuck in a rut.
8. Break new ground: Revolutionize something by offering novel ideas:
   • I believe Stanley Kubrick with his unique avant-gardism broke new ground in the realm of cinematography.

Related Words and Phrases:

1. Modification: A small change that is intended to improve something:
   • “No further modification is allowed to be made to the ultimate plan” the director announced.
2. Transformation: A dramatic change that alters something completely:
   • “Our education system needs to undergo a dramatic transformation” Professor Robinson declared.
3. Metamorphosis: A major change in the structure of something that makes it completely different from what it used to be:
   • Caterpillars go through a metamorphosis to became butterflies.
4. Revolution: Noticeable changes in the way you think, believe or act:
   • Urban planning in this area requires a revolution in the whole system.
5. Amendment: Any change (usually a small one) that is thought of to improve the condition(s) of something:
   • In that session, almost all of the faculty members passed an amendment to the dean, requesting some special facilities.
6. A change for the better, a change for the worse: Any possible change that might improve or worsen the situation:
   • The plan was intended to be a change for the better, but much to our consternation, it turned out to be quite the reverse.
7. Adjustment: Any possible change (usually an inconsiderable one) in your behavior or attitude:
   • The family counselor advised the couple to make some minor adjustments to the way they treated each other.