Time for Change

Spiritual wisdom and human pragmatism combined in balance is the key to the new epoch of man.

While much progress for many is being made in this regard, it can be hard, still, to recognise when our desires and expectations are obscuring the needs of our souls. It is easy to find ourselves fixing in our minds a belief that something in our life must be such and such and having it so entrenched that we fail to see that the causes and circumstances of the situation have changed with time and that the belief is obsolete. Persisting with the insistence that “it must be so” will cause more pain than letting go, always.

Unsurprisingly, money, and the fear of losing it, is often the root cause behind the intransigence which is ironic if we reflect that money in itself is worthless: it is a convenient but misused method of exchange, outdated now, but it has been given an extra-ordinary power in its own right because of the veneration afforded it by many. Its attraction has created a desire for more of it, a fear of not having it, and, along with religion, is the driver behind all wars. Releasing the neediness enables spiritual liberation and mental peace.

I was reminded of this when I was talking to a local tradesman recently. He was complaining that because of the recession it was increasingly hard to find work, and that when he was approached to tender for a scarce job he was, invariably, outpriced by a competitor. His grievances were against the potential client, his trade rivals and luck, all of which he seemed to think were conspiring against him to make his life difficult. He failed to see that he had full responsibility for his position and that his refusal to adjust his prices and method of working, to be more adaptable and to look for new opportunities in a changing world had caused his present difficulties. He was trying to live in a past that was gone.

Change can be un-nerving because the results are unknown, but it is also exciting if we see it so. It is inevitable, it is constant, it is internal within us, it is external without us. We cannot avoid it: so, if we can recognise our resistance to it as it approaches us, see where we are being stubborn rather than pragmatic, and replace stubbornness with awareness, our goal of spiritual wisdom - peace of mind and heart - will be achieved much more comfortably. It really is time for change.