The Need for Awareness in Change
Personality Plus | September 2010 | Krishnaraj
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." The deeper implication of these profound words by Mahatma Gandhi is clearly that it is not the external world that calls for change but rather our inner selves that needs overhauling from our narrow conditioned responses to life.
Give this a thought: if you see a black stain on your face reflected in a mirror do you reach out to wipe the mirror? Do you not automatically wipe your face instead? We, as human beings, have this innate ability and intelligence to make the judgment that, in this instance, it is the face that needs to be wiped and not the mirror. Such intelligence or wisdom is the ability to zero down upon what is it that really needs to be addressed and this comes from an inner awareness of our own mental processes.
Change is an integral aspect of our lives. Each one of us is either at the receiving end of change initiated by others or are instrumental in initiating change ourselves. With the search for novelty and variety being engrained in the very core of human nature, it is but inevitable to constantly look for fresher pastures. Perhaps it is this very drive for change that translates into the passion for growth and learning in us; a need to expand our mental horizons and increase our potential. However, ‘change’ in itself is a very broad expression, for it could imply change both for better or for worse. Hence it becomes absolutely necessary to steer the direction of change in our lives. Without guidance we could end up with something totally undesirable.
While the need for change is undeniable, it is necessary to shed the light of awareness on the factors that govern or dictate this need. This is extremely important, for the direction of change in our lives is determined by the extent of our awareness or unawareness. Growth and learning in a positive sense could be defined as a process of change initiated in awareness, going hand in hand with joy and well-being. On the other hand, a process of change initiated in unawareness often tends to be rash and unmindful of the impending consequences on oneself as well as on others and therefore becomes a harbinger of pain and conflict.
Change brought about in the wrong area is not only useless but could also prove destructive. Take, for example, a person who remains unstable in relationships and keeps making and breaking relationships because of loss of passion or connection every once in a while. An enduring solution for such a person would be to try not switching people but rather enquiring into his or her own perceptions underlying the loss of passion. Such enquiry would naturally lead to an understanding of love itself and as to how easily our minds enforce rigid ideas that narrow the huge ocean of love down to a trickle!
So, as we set out seeking for a change, let us first ask ourselves as to what really needs to be addressed. We could thereby spare ourselves the arduous effort of trying to change the world instead of ourselves with merely a deepening of awareness. The crux of this understanding is in enquiring into the very motive behind this seeking. Does this seeking for change arise from wanting to grow or taking our life to the next level of perfection? At the very outset this question might seem redundant. One might ask: “Why else would I be wanting to experience something new if not to experience growth?”
However, an astute observation could shockingly reveal that this desire for change could be the result of a desperate need to avoid the sense of an inner void - a sense of struggle with one’s own existence compounded by feelings of self-hate and purposelessness. Once again, we might be inclined to think: "Well, is not the need for change always felt only when there is a sense of inadequacy? If I am totally contented, where is the need to look for newer vistas or fresher pastures?" It is here that we need to understand the subtle difference between seeking for growth versus being uncomfortable with or trying to evade one’s own reality. Though very different, these two experiences could appear similar to a mind clouded in conflict. Often, what could be masquerading as a passion for change might well be a desperate attempt to get away from an existing problem.
A clear illustration of this is evident in the professional lives of many of us as it happens be one area where the need for change acquires immense significance under numerous pretexts of fulfillment, job-satisfaction and more importantly, our sense of self-worth.
How many of us like to believe that success in our professional careers determine our feeling of self-worth and our ability to love ourselves? How many of us experience a rising or dwindling of love for ourselves based on our professional achievements or failures? While our achievements definitely determine the extent to which we earn respect and fame in the society we live, can they really become the basis for loving and respecting ourselves? This raises a very crucial question: is the ability to love oneself dependent on external circumstances at all? For if it did, it would defy the unconditional nature of joy or love. It would also defy the proverbial saying, ‘Money can’t buy happiness or love’. So, once again, it is important to reiterate that change should never occur to escape from situations. Rather, it should be born from a feeling of self awareness.
This is the awareness that One World Academy’s ‘A New Beginning’ seminar brings to participants who often start off on the assumption that their happiness is dependent on changing their partners or the external situations prevailing in their lives. But, it is not before long that they realize the vast array of emotional and psychological frameworks they have imposed upon themselves that need appraisal. Once awareness becomes a part of these frameworks, it naturally causes an unlearning of conditioned responses and there is a palpable shift in terms of emotional states, decisions and actions, thereby initiating an amazing journey into growth and self-awareness. This is what we mean when we say: "Growth or learning is a process of change initiated in awareness."
Author :
Krishnaraj
Faculty, One World Academy
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