A breakthrough occurs when resistance yields to pressure. In the intellectual field, pressure is created by the will to understand and learn. Students work hard to reach an understanding, and suddenly everything seems obvious; for researchers, the data finally responds to logic, and a breakthrough is achieved... Eureka. In many sports, when an athlete exceeds a certain threshold, one success follows another. In a company or an institution, the combined efforts eventually produce results, and a new era is ushered in. In all cases, pressure is exerted at the outset. Will, interest, ambition.
The breakthrough is rarely gradual, but rather sudden, and is preceded by several warning signs, not the least of which is discouragement. Discouragement is not apathy, it's the realization that "we won't succeed if we carry on like this", which prompts us to change something.
When months of effort are rewarded, relief and new perspectives open up, and nothing will ever be the same again. The pride and pleasure of seeing a student blossom and take on new challenges with confidence is testimony to this. The energy is flowing again, and we understand the choice of the word "breakthrough" for this significant moment of change.
We've all experienced these moments of exhilaration in the face of problems, challenges or objectives that were far from obvious. No breakthrough without effort, and no breakthrough in the face of impossibilities either, but sometimes impossibility is more a matter of belief than inconsistency. The quote "Let's be realistic, let's ask for the impossible" is a good illustration of the latter. If we really want to change a blocked situation, we also need to change our point of view. We can make poverty disappear, we can have true justice, we can live in balance with nature. Are you starting to feel the pressure?
Denys Lamontagne - [email protected]
Illustration : 1553426435
