In the basement of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, stored in a pressure-sealed, air-conditioned and laser-sensitive glass bell jar together with 5 other identical twin prototypes, lies a piece of metal that doesn't seem to matter at all. This piece of platinum is in fact the Kilogram. A kilogram is currently defined as the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram, IPK for short, an actual stamped piece of platinum alloy. Therefore, this piece of metal is the only thing in the world with a mass of exactly one kilogram. If someone were to alter the weight of IPK, the weight of everything else in the world (yes, every single piece of matter in existence) would eventually be changed by definition! It goes without saying that IPK is rarely mined or touched by human hands. However, every few decades, IPK is weighed (against its sister prototypes and identical models shipped to countries around the world). The problem is that the weights of IPK and its replicas are not constant. Over the last 90 years these prototypes differed in weight by about 50 micrograms (Fox, American Scientist). If the weight of IPK changes, then, by definition, the definition of the kilogram itself also changes. The reason for this weight loss phenomenon is still unknown; however, one thing is certain: the mass of IPK, and consequently the measurement of the kilogram itself, is not stable! To correct this discrepancy, scientists around the world have decided to redefine the definition of kilogram to be based not on an object itself, but rather on something that is built into nature, something that will always remain constant. A perfect element to use for this definition is solid silicon-28, an isotope of s...... middle of paper ......am in no way ignores hundreds of years of science and tradition, but rather the exact opposite! The redefinition would simply improve the current definition, respecting the old tradition, using it as a basis on which to build new advances. The new definition would be more exact, more easily calculable and more reliable. More importantly, it will eliminate the physical object altogether, integrating definition into nature itself and ensuring constant stability. However, we can only improve if we are not afraid of change. As C. Joybell said “We cannot be afraid of change. You may feel very safe in the pond you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that's good for you now might be the very reason you don't have something better.”