New Delhi: The old clock on the café wall ticks steadily. Its hands haven’t been changed in years, slightly slow but dependable. Mr Bawa glances at it and nods. Time is moving as it should—no rush, no sudden leaps. Just the comforting rhythm of the familiar.

Everywhere we turn, we are told that change is the only way forward. “Move fast, break things,” they say. “Reinvent yourself. Chase growth.” But what if staying the same isn’t such a bad thing? What if, in some cases, it’s actually the best possible outcome?

Take a man sitting in a hospital waiting room, his hands clenched into fists. His wife’s test results are about to be handed over. She has late-stage cancer. He knows better than to hope for a miracle. What he’s praying for instead is simple—that things haven’t gotten worse. That they can hold on to what they have. That for one more week, one more month, life remains familiar. When the doctor nods and says, “No major changes,” he exhales. Relief floods his face. The status quo is good.

We don’t often acknowledge this, but so much of life isn’t about leaping forward—it’s about holding things together. A friend called me the other day, frustration thick in his voice. “I feel like I’m stuck. Same job, same routine, same salary. It’s been five years, and nothing’s changed.” I asked him, “But do you like your job?” There was a pause. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I do.” “Are you managing fine?” Another pause. “Yeah.” “Then what’s the problem?”

We’ve been conditioned to believe that unless we are moving forward, we are falling behind. But sometimes, just staying in place is enough. In a world of economic downturns and uncertain job markets, a steady salary is a blessing, not........

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