The Winds of Change Are Upon Us

 Change is coming!

“Dehino asmin yathaa dehe koumaaram youvanam jaraa

Tathaa dehaantara praaptihi dheeras tatra na muhyati.” -- Bhagawad-Gita (2.13)

In this verse Krishna talks about the six inevitable bodily changes - childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, old age, and migration to a new body. He shares that this process will continue till the soul gets liberated. There are many verses in Bhagawad Gita that allude to the point that “change is the only constant.” Yet we are constantly plagued by change. Though we undergo it perpetually, we resent it, resist it, deny it, and decry it. 

In this blog, we explore our love-hate relationship with change and how we can embrace change in order to reap the benefits of coming to terms with who we are and whatever situation we find ourselves in WHILE changing what we need to about ourselves in order to create greater wellbeing and working to remediate any aspects of the external environment that we can to improve the welfare of ourselves and society. 

“You can’t step in the same river twice, because both you and the river have changed.” — Hegel 

THE PARADOX OF CHANGE

“The curious thing is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change” – Carl Rogers.

The natural ups and downs of life amidst the eddies of change that flow along with it can either generate personal growth or invoke personal fears. Change can be viewed as either exciting or frightening. Because we resist these changes, we try to control and fight the changes, we feel life is a struggle and each day is heavy. Fear is the cause of our problems, not change itself. With this realization, begins our journey of acceptance. 

Spirituality teaches us to accept ourselves as we are. At the same time, we learn that there are things about us that we need to change. When we realize that change is inevitable, we can reconcile these opposing approaches and recommendations. Acceptance of change is the bridge — it allows us to operate in our day-to-day life with appreciation of what is, without creating disturbance or suffering in our mind because of inevitable changes to come.

Our human minds have a tendency for either-or, black-or-white thinking, with a leaning towards one clear answer to any question or situation. However, the spiritual approach teaches us that these “opposing solutions” are created by the mind and are not an adequate representation of reality. Both solutions may be true, neither may be true, or both may be only two out of many solutions. 

A simple example is the use of YES-AND instead of NO-BUT. When dealing with a scenario in which a colleague presents a different solution that which we have envisioned, if we approach their solution with a YES-AND it becomes possible to find new possibilities, perhaps merge solutions, or combine different aspects of two solutions; and it also becomes a powerful way to engage our colleague in a collaborative rather than competitive dialog about which solution will win out. It’s the mind (and ego) that thinks only my solution can be correct; whereas when we approach from the heart or soul, we realize there are so many options possible. That is when true learning and growth — and change — takes place, in a way that is respectful, accepting, open, loving, creative, and yet productive and progressive. 

“Change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not” – The Paradoxical Theory of Change, Arnold Beisser

WHY DO I NEED TO CHANGE?

Personal Growth & Freedom

“When we are no longer able to change our situation, we are challenged to change ourselves” – Viktor Frankl.

In Sanatana Dharma, all of nature, which includes the mind and the body, is constituted of three elements or ‘gunas’. These are tamas - which tends to inertia, rajas - which tends to activity, and sattva - which tends to equilibrium. It’s helpful to think about change in the context of these ‘gunas,’ as one who is predominantly in tamas, will tend to justify status quo, inaction, “no need to change”; one who is predominantly in rajas, focuses on material change – increase in wealth, fame, accomplishments, physical activity; whereas one who is predominantly in sattva, embraces change for peace of mind, pursuing activities which improve one’s equilibrium, purifying the mind to act with the right intention, achieving clarity about what is the right thing to do and putting in the effort and focus to do it. 

Over the course of our spiritual journeys, our attempt is to work through tamas to come to rajas, and then through rajas to arrive at sattva (and ultimately to get beyond sattva as well, beyond material nature, to be one with Atma or Consciousness). This is the path to freedom, or self-realization, or God-realization. The three gunas are not a fixed quantity or ratio for any individual, they are in constant movement and flux throughout nature, and they can be changed within oneself with awareness, will, effort, and intention. This is perhaps one of the best examples of how humans can overcome human nature in order to realize the Divine within them.  

Spiritual scientist, Chaitanya Charan asks us not to confuse activity with productivity. Just as a fan that moves at a very high-speed, but gets nowhere, our mind whirls around in anxiety from one thing to the next, sometimes not actually accomplishing much. According to him, such mental overdrive characterizes the mode of passion (rajas), Bhagawad-Gita (14.12), which impels us to insatiable desire and unceasing activity. The Gita also contrasts passion with goodness (14.11), wherein our senses are illumined with knowledge, enabling us to do things effectively. He guides us that we can raise ourselves from passion to goodness by spiritual practices such as meditation.

So, the ability to change gives us a means to become who we want to be. It gives us an opportunity to explore our own personal values and beliefs, learn from our mistakes and failures, and experience this world through different lenses and perspectives in keeping with our own unique requirements and individual needs.

Change is essential for our personal growth and development. In Albert Einstein’s words, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”

Productivity

“If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got” – Henry Ford.

Small daily changes in our life, such as better managing our time, better prioritizing our task lists, better planning for the day, and learning ways to better manage distractions can help lead to greater productivity and success. When we take charge, become aware, actively reflect, goal set, and make necessary changes to our life instead of “operating in cruise control” it will help us become more productive, which leads to satisfaction and fulfillment. 

As small changes lead to an increase in productivity, our source of happiness shifts from the hedonistic pleasure of inactivity (tamas), to the pride that comes with accomplishment of worldly pursuits (rajas), to the contentment and peace which arises from doing your duty (sattva).  

The Japanese Kaizen philosophy suggests doing this for daily self-improvement – take slow, steady, consistent action and focus on doing things a little bit better than you did the day before. Change need not be all or none, or transformational; it may be slow and steady, and incremental. 

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” – Socrates. 

WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle” – Martin Luther King.

The ultimate goal of human life is happiness. In the spiritual context, the goal is to alleviate suffering, find peace of mind, or discover one’s purpose through realization of one’s true nature. Therefore, the most direct answer to this question is that what needs to change is whatever is causing some barrier to happiness or peace of mind. This is usually evident in some form of disturbance in the mind or body (manifest as anger, envy, greed, hatred, depression, anxiety, fear, lust). 

If one is already at peace, then there may be nothing to change. The caveat to this, as summarized in the section on the three gunas, is that the “inactivity of inertia” should not be misunderstood as the peace of sattva. 

Armed with acceptance of one’s situation and awareness of one’s condition, a helpful next step is an honest and careful assessment of what is causing disturbance within oneself. The goal of such an assessment is not to find fault, create dis-satisfaction, become wracked with guilt or regret, nor issue judgment. It is first and foremost to accept openly and vulnerably the tendencies which are creating the disturbances. Quite simply – note and document the disturbances (most commonly anger, envy, hatred, anxiety, depression, lust, greed), track and quantify them if possible. This assessment will serve as the basis for identifying what you believe needs to change within yourself. The acceptance that you brought into this assessment further provides the commitment and the will to carry through with making the necessary changes in the identified areas. 

“The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change” – Bill Clinton.

HOW DO I CHANGE? TRY THIS FIVE STEP APPROACH

1. Accept

The apparent dichotomy here comes down to knowing what to accept – that which is beyond our power to change such as the behavior of other persons, situations that present themselves, natural disasters, or inherent physical characteristics – height, eye color; versus having the insight and integrity to understand how to change one’s own behaviors, tendencies, habits, mindset (sanskaras) which create disturbances in one’s mind through one’s thoughts and emotions (vrittis) thereby amplifying the challenges that one is facing. 

If we dig more deeply, the suggestion to embrace acceptance is itself a recommendation for change as it is being advocated from a position of “stop resisting, fighting, trying to control” the situation or others. In this manner, acceptance can be a first step to changing one’s approach and perspective about the world.

2. Sublimate

Turning one’s craving from material towards spiritual goals allows one to leverage the power of craving and desire to drive one’s ongoing growth and evolution, while also finding acceptance and peace with oneself. The uniqueness of spiritual craving is that there is no dissatisfaction or disturbance from one’s present state, while there is an intense desire and motivation to continue to learn, grow, evolve, transcend – change. 

3. Observe 

Here is an interesting excerpt that talks about how to change from the book, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear.

“When you observe a cue, but do not desire to change your state, you are content with the current situation. Happiness is not about the achievement of pleasure, but about the lack of desire. It arrives when you have no urge to feel differently. Happiness is the state you enter when you no longer want to change your state.

Peace occurs when you don’t turn your observations into problems. Craving is about wanting to fix everything. Observation without craving is the realization that you do not need to fix anything. Your desires are not running rampant. You do not crave a change in state. Your mind does not generate a problem for you to solve. You’re simply observing and existing.”

4. Reflect

“Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~George Bernard Shaw

An ongoing process of reflection (aided by meditation, reading, writing) is instrumental in helping one evaluate one’s condition and spiritual progress on an ongoing basis.

Turn inwards and take the time to build a relationship with yourself. Build awareness about what causes you anxiety and stress, reflecting on what needs to change to help you experience the life you desire – the life that fills you with meaning and purpose. 

From “Atomic Habits”: “Reflection and review enables the long term improvement of all habits because it makes you aware of your mistakes and helps you consider paths for improvement. Without reflection, we can make excuses, create rationalizations, and lie to ourselves. We have no process for determining whether we are performing better or worse compared to yesterday.”

In the end change begins with you! 

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." – Mahatma Gandhi 

5. Reframe

As noted above, the very simple act of pure observation is often powerful enough to start to dissipate the tendencies and behaviors. As you observe yourself, continue to note and track ongoing and recurring disturbances, and reflect on them to understand their nature. 

There are a variety of different techniques that can then be employed to reframe these disturbances. Some of these techniques have been popularized by recent advances in positive psychology, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Three Vital Questions. All of these techniques can work if learned well and dedicatedly applied. The central feature of all of these techniques is to deliberately and consistently change one’s interpretations to situations from an approach which is ‘negative’ or ‘reactive’ to one that is ‘open’, ‘positive’, or ‘responsive’.

One powerful technique from Learned Optimism is the ABCDE method.

A – Adversity - What is the situation that is causing the disturbance? 

Ex. A1: My son has not called me back all day.

Ex. A2: I yelled at my wife because she kept asking me about the status of our will.

B – Belief - How do we interpret this situation?

Ex. B1: He may have gotten hurt because he is always careless.

Ex. B2: She deserves to be yelled at because she is always bugging me.

C – Consequence - How do we feel or act based on this belief?

Ex. C1: I feel anxious and fearful that something has happened to him.

Ex. C2: I feel sad now because I yelled at her, and now she is upset with me too. 

D – Dispute - How can we challenge this belief?

Ex. D1: He is most likely busy at school and his homework. I know that he will call me back when he has free time just like he has in the past. 

Ex. D2: She just wants to make sure that everything is taken care of for the kids.

E – Energization - How do we feel after we have challenged the belief?

Ex. E1: I feel relieved because he is most likely safe.

Ex. E2: I feel better because I know she is not trying to give me a hard time, but trying to help me get things done. 

In summary, “to exist is to change; to change is to mature; to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly” – Henry Bergson.