The War with Change
The War with Change
The War with Change
People wage war against themselves — against their own being — because they are afraid to face the truths their own selves conceal. They fight the possibilities of change because they fear the unknown; the discomfort of being dislodged from what is familiar, however unpleasant that familiarity may be. They fight freedom because they hesitate before love (eros)—before genuine and authentic relationships that give life meaning.
No matter how much we guide and teach people about the truths of life, they will not change simply because someone told them they should. They will change when life itself confronts them with something they can no longer avoid. Change comes when reality becomes stronger than the defense of denial—the refusal to see the truth: the truth of the many-sided aspects of themselves, of others, or of a situation. People change when they can no longer endure remaining stagnant, without having any inner growth.
If we wish to help and encourage people to change, our teaching, our guidance, our preaching must spring from an experiential awareness of ourselves; from our concern for and struggle regarding life; from a truth that is lived. It will not help if what we say is merely intellectual, theoretical, or borrowed from others—if it is literally correct, yet empty of the experience of Grace.
May God help us not to settle down into a state of stagnation; not to remain immature, without growth; not to remain in a state of non-seeking. For then we will risk becoming trapped in the bonds of our own selves—isolated, alone, and without the desire to love and be loved — cut off from every possibility to receive help and salvation.