Real Evolution

"As Professor Ikujiro Nonaka at Hitotsubashi University once pointed out, evolution has 3 processes, [variation] [selection] and [retention]. Which is the most important process? People tend to think that [variation] is the most important one. As a matter of fact, it is [retention] that is the most important in the process of evolution. Jacque Monod, a French biologist, pointed out the same thing in his work, Chance and Neccesity."

(Takahiro Hujimoto, Japanese Manufacturing Philosophy, Nihonkeizai Shinbunsha, 2004, p. 111)

These days, I often think that what the important thing is to progress, I mean, step forward. And I refer to the sentence above each time. The word "evolution" sounds cool, and it has a fresh image of going forward, toward bright future. But the most important element of the evolution is to stay, to revive, to continue, to keep. To maintain the status quo, to keep the things as they are.

This is not so positive process toward future. This is the persistent process with present twists and turns. It sounds boring, but this is the real evolution. Keep what you got once. Never go back. That's the key to step forward.