Stability in society can lead to stagnation.

Stability in society can lead to stagnation.

11:30-12

Stability in society is a desired outcome in many nations across the globe. What determines stability for that nation is dependent on what the people of the country want. Without stability in society there would be widespread unrest and turmoil causing problems for the nation as a whole. An unstable nation is very dangerous because it can cause harm to those that are stable. Stability in society can sometimes lead to stagnation but also prosperity and integrity in morale for a society.

First consider a situation where stability in society has lead to stagnation and a constant state of being. If a society experiences a relatively long period of stability (e.g., economic and social realm), they could lose ability to deal with more precarious circumstances. When people are accustomed to a constant state of balance, lack of concern and readiness for worst case scenarios is detrimental. For example, in the case of the United States, under President Bill Clinton’s administration the US experienced a relatively prolonged period of economic stability and prosperity. The population faced very low unemployment, high salaries accompanied with people experiencing the American Dream from high standards of living. Many people placed all their eggs in one nest and did so without any careful planning. This has been especially true in the case of the housing market, where many people heavily invested their savings in real estate throughout the 1990s  and speculated that the prices of homes were going to keep on rising. People did not diversify their investments and thus solely depended on the housing marker for financial security. However, unexpectedly in 2007 the housing bubble burst many people were panicked to see their home values depreciate and lose valuable investments via foreclosure. After the housing bubble burst the job market crippled along with the deficit thus it is evident that without planning in a stable society can cause problems.

In stark contrast, consider a situation where stability in society has not lead to stagnation rather a sense of security and betterment.  For example, in Canada, there is stability in society, as the democratic system has been preserved for over 140 years, since 1867. In comparison to the US, Canada was not as hard hit by the 2009 recession or the 2007 housing bubble because of planning and implementation by the government . Most people did not put all eggs in one basket rather the most lucrative business in Canada was oil and natural resources which have fueled Canada’s growth even now. Despite tensions with local native populations  over land, overall careful financial planning and diversification have benefited Canada in the long run during hard financial times such as the recession. Thus in Canada, there has not been any stagnation and has developed policies rules which benefit the country of Canada. In fact, due to such a system, Canada, once regarded as a developing nation is now regarded as a fully developed country through planning.

All in all a society with stability that ends up in stagnation is circumstantial. If a nation experiences prolonged times of prosperity and stability, as with the United States,  people are not prepared for worst case scenarios because they lacked planning and suffered in the recession. However in the case of Canada, people were more vigilant and planned carefully in times of great stability and thus were not as hard hit by the recession as the United States.