What do we really know about change?

I have a problem that I would like to invite you to help me figure out.  The subject is change.  For more than two decades now the increasing frequency of change has become a palpable experience for everyone.  In the early days the notion of being proactive became popular.  At the core of being proactive was the belief that one needs to take action before change happens.  As we experienced more change the notion that change was now a constant became popular.  Today, one of the purposes of this online community is to align people who want to change the world.

The problem is this…why is change now a constant?  What has caused our experience of change to accelerate and what does it mean?  Is there a purpose to change?  Under a constant barrage of change why has dealing with change not gotten any easier?

Would it be a radical notion to suggest that we really haven't stopped to fully examine the change experience?  Is it possible that we've addressed the problem of change in much the same way as medicine addresses illness?  Where we focus our attention on the symptoms rather than looking for root causes?

Part of the problem with change is it's so obvious.  Does anyone have difficulty recognizing change when it happens?  What's to understand--it happens, and we have no choice but to deal with it.  So what's the remedy?  Grin and bear the stress and anxiety, escape any way you can from the present, and wait a few months--with time all things pass, even change!

Forgive me if you sense a bit of sarcasm, but isn't this truly about the only way we have of dealing with change?  So is there an alternative, some other way of dealing with change?  I'm glad you asked because that's what I need your help with.  My personal mission for most of the last twenty years has been to uncover the fundamentals of change, and to understand how change impacts us.  The yardstick I've used in the process has been observing my own experience of change.  What this journey has revealed is that change is at the foundation of all existence.

Let me give you an example, how many of you are interested in personal transformation?  At its core transformation can be depicted as radical change.  Through a process of small changes over time your perspective is altered until you hold a radically different view of the world.  This journey takes place through interactions with the world around us, and an increasing awareness of our inner dimension.  Change as we experience it from an outer source can be leveraged to observe how we are reacting internally.  To the extent that we are able to recognize the motivating forces of our internal reaction and choose to respond differently we effect a change that becomes part of our transformation.

The problem is becoming aware of ourselves; our actions and reactions are such a natural part of our being that we have difficulty observing ourselves.  For most of us our sensory impressions come from the surroundings--our external environment.  It's acting and reacting with the external environment that preoccupies us and precludes our inner awareness from penetrating deeper than a surface awareness of thoughts and feelings produced by the external circumstances.

In the days and weeks ahead I want to share with you my interpretation of the fundamentals of change.  My first hope is that a clearer understanding of change will give you a leg up on your own transformation and assist you in changing the world.  My other hope is that you'll share with me your impressions of the concepts being presented and whether they work for you.  Thanks for reading!