"It's always been this way." (Some things just never change).
"It's never been this way." (The world keeps changing before your very eyes).
Paradoxical? Absolutely!
No wonder some worry. About it being paradoxical. About the next change. To the worriers, it's confusing. It might be bad. What if it doesn't stop to change? What if tomorrow's change causes even more stress? Am I not stressed, worried, sleepless and depressed enough as it is?
Yet other people are worry-free. Because they understand paradox. They understand constancy and change are twins, two sides of the same coin. Better yet, they are dancing together, in lover's embrace, in front of our very eyes.
The river is the same, the water in it isn't.
The seasons are the same, the bees and the sunflowers aren't.
The way it's meant to be.
The world keeps changing before our very eyes: Empires rising then falling. Cities, states, continents and the world itself exploding and imploding. Walls erected and crumbling. The extension of man happening at future shock warp speed. Our children knowing more than we ever will.
The world's way of saying that we are not a result of the big bang and of creation, but that we are part of it.
Some things never change - never have, never will: In the beginning was the word. Of love, faith and hope, love is greatest. Peace lost, wars won. It is impossible to walk rapidly and be unhappy. Worry and complaining are two of the steps on the 12-step program to losing. In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
The world's way of saying that we're not in uncharted territory, that creation is dependable and natural law universal.
Be at peace with the fact that the future is unknown.
See that worry over change is not only completely wasted, but a most destructive habit.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Beat -
I was invited to be on the board of a non profit. They wanted “new blood and new ideas.”
All I heard is that ‘”we’ve never done it that way.” End of discussion.
I quit.
People do not like change.
Corinne Edwards´s last [type] ..WRITE YOUR BOOK – PUBLISH YOUR BOOK – PROMOTE YOUR BOOK
Sorry to hear about your non-profit board experience. It’s disappointing to deal with people who say they want one thing and then go out and to the other. Like people wanting to lose weight, then going for chocolate cake with diet coke. Oftentimes quitting is the best alternative.
Life is a paradox, polar opposites, but gees – if I went out of the house in mismatched shoes that would just be too different. I tend to think that people who have learn to adjust and deal with change are happier. We can take it as it comes.
I hear Corinne’s story above and it reminds me of a lot of stories my friend Reed tells me about doing corporate advertising campaigns. They said they wanted something different but when it came down to it they wanted the same. They wanted a fresh look on their old same, same, same.
Hey, what is the different between your upbeat mailing list and your insiders list?
Nicole Rushin´s last [type] ..Fleshing Out the Dream
That some things never change, others constantly – even within the same person – seems too much of a paradox for some. You are so right, people who embrace change are happier than those who fight it, yet happiest of all are those who understand the paradox between stillness and change as perfection rather than craziness. The other day in the news was a story about newly discovered writings dating back to biblical times. It is feared, by some, the newly discovered scrolls might differ from texts in the bible. Implied, it is feared that discovery might lead to discovery. Talk about … did I earlier say all paradox was perfect, not crazy? Well, it only goes to show every rule needs an exception :-]
PS. No difference – for now – between the UpBeat and LeapOfActionInsider mailing lists. Clarity about future direction not quite ripe yet.