The Great Change - A lifesaver or Risky Business

Creating change may not have to be as risky as the guy's choice in the photo pictured here (a young man train hopping in the 1920's) but it does involve risk. Not many of us enjoy experiencing change although early childhood experiences, our chemical and neurological makeup probably contribute greatly to just how affected we really are by change. But how can we approach chosen, unwanted or unexpected changes philosophically and without disturbing our inner peace?

The Inner Focus - Does anything really change?

Fundamentally most changes are external but the inner person rarely experiences sudden change. Have you ever awoken however, perhaps from a deep sleep or in the middle of REM and found yourself without reference to 'yourself'? Think to a time when you've felt so disoriented that you've been unable to remember which bed you are in, which room you've woken up into or maybe even your age! this experience although disturbing gives us a key to understanding how to remain calm despite external shifts.

Basically, we tend to interpret our current experiences in the light of already existing experiences and expectations, we use the past to try to tell us where we are, who we are and why we are there, but these random wakenings with no reference to ourself tell us in reality the truth momentarily...that there is nothing truly permanent - not even the 'self'.

This  idea may seem alarming but in fact this one fact is a fundamental basis for therapy itself. The self is not stable, it is transient, moveable and able to be completely re-written. Without this knowledge it would be pointless trying to move forward. Pain and memories would permanently destroy our now and remove our hope of ever moving forward but the self, even with it's memories, it's thoughts, it's deepest ingrained habits can be moved, shifted and changed, thus nothing we experience outside of the self is truly relevant and for that matter neither is anything that we experience within. We can truly note these things as mere passing aspect of the ego constantly manifesting itself and the constantly flowing awareness of awareness itself. In this way we can learn to let go of control and merely 'live'.