At the Airport while waiting for the announcement for the boarding of your flight invariably one tends to browse at the bookshop counter .I have picked up quite a few interesting books having very interesting tittles. Recently an interesting tittle caught my attention, written in bright RED letters “ Who Moved My Cheese ? “ The tittle was fancy and the book was amazing. A paper back cover of about 100 pages which takes an hour to read, is a simple parable dealing with CHANGE and in coping with change successfully. It’s a story of four imaginary characters who run through a maze looking for Cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Cheese is a metaphor for what one wants to have in life. Each of us has our own idea of what Cheese is to us and we pursue it because we believe it will make us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it and if we lose it, or it’s taken away or moved, it can be traumatic. The four imaginary characters depicted in this short story are two mice “ Sniff “ and “ Scurry “ and two little people “ Hem “ and “ Haw “ Both the mice and the little people are intended to represent the simple and the complex part of ourselves. The mice possessing simple rodent brains but good instinct searched the maze for Cheese in a simple way – trial and error method of finding the Cheese. The little people however relied on their complex brains to develop more sophisticated methods to find the Cheese. Both ultimately found Cheese at Cheese Station C. So each morning both set used to go to Cheese station C to enjoy the tasty new morsels that awaited them. This routine continued till one day they found that there wasn’t any cheese at cheese station C. The mice looked around and realising that they had to find new cheese put on their running shoes and plunged into the maze searching for a new station This was their simple solution to the problem. The little people Hem and Haw were quite upset at not finding the Cheese and started grumbling and yelling hoping that the Cheese would suddenly reappear. They went back hungry that night but came back to cheese station next day hoping to find the Cheese. The little people went back day after day to the same cheese station C and were trying to analyze where the cheese could have gone. They were also suffering from the effects of having no Cheese. They were becoming frustrated and angry and were blaming each other for the situation they were in. Haw suggested that they go back in the maze looking for new cheese but Hem would have nothing of that. Why should we leave the comfort of the familiar surrounding which we know and go to the dark , uncertain and dangerous maze where we can get lost said Hem. Maybe someone who has moved the Cheese will put it back. Haw also did not want to go into the maze but he knew the futility of waiting at Cheese Station C. So one day he made up his mind to once again explore the maze and put on his running shoes but Hem remained where he was. Meanwhile the mice after some running around and going through empty dark corridors ultimately found new Cheese Station N. Haw also found cheese after wandering around quite a bit and running through the corridors. Only Hem remained where he was, miserable as he felt why should we change, we did not cause the problem. Why should we go where there is so much uncertainty . He did not want to get lost in the maze and make a fool of himself. The fear of failing kept them from venturing out into the maze.
The author Dr. Spencer Johnson wants to tell us that if there is anything that is permanent it is CHANGE. We should anticipate change, adapt to it quickly, enjoy change and be ready to change quickly again and again. This story if grasped well will be an asset as any one who has learnt the lesson in the need for change and in coping with change successfully will do well in life.
A simple but powerful story written for everyone offers a unique insight and at Rs. 95/- is a steal.