October 9, 2024: Fear Fearing Change
"Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be."
– John Wooden
What is it about the idea of change that causes us discomfort? Why is our initial response to trying something new usually negative? Although I don't quite have the answers to those two questions, I have observed on many occasions those types of reactions. I have also observed that as time went on, our initial rejections many times, became acceptance and then appreciation for the change. We don't seem to mind the constant changes in the shape and performance of our automobiles, nor in the way our fashions continue to vary from year to year. Those changes come from outside sources that don't ask or respect our opinions, so we accept and adapt to them. It is when the proposed or requested changes impact us viscerally that we react emotionally; setting up the automatic rejection cycle. Life is not static. On the contrary, it is in constant flux. To expect our little part of the world to remain stationary is certainly unrealistic and many times detrimental to our forward progress. Openness to and healthy curiosity about whatever comes next, can be a vital source of renewal in our perhaps otherwise, mundane lives. Keeping life and ourselves interesting must involve being in step with life's ebbs and flows. It is not change that we should fear. Fearing change, fighting change is what will pretty much guarantee that our lives will not be very fulfilling. Let's do our best to let go of some parts of the past and embrace our ever changing futures.
© 2024 Detroit Flanagan
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