Resisting Change Is The Same As Resisting Life - Dick Rauscher

Resisting Change Is The Same As Resisting Life

If you want to live a full life, awaken to your unconscious resistance to change. Resisting change is the same as resisting life.

Most of us are aware that we resist those things in life that create pain and suffering. For example, when we lose our health due to a cold or the flu, we count the days until we are back on our feet. We don’t like being ill. We consciously resist illness.

What we don’t see as clearly is our resistance to change itself. We are hard-wired to like safety and predictability in life. When things change it causes anxiety.

Don’t believe me? Try changing where you routinely put your car keys or your glasses. Switch the cupboard you put your glasses in with the plates and vice versa. If you brush your teeth with your right hand, brush your teeth with your left hand. For a full week try taking a totally different way to work each day. Stop watching all television for a week. Change the location of all of the credit and debit cards in your wallet.

Then watch what happens to your level of comfort internally. Life will likely feel out of control.

If you want a really good example of how much you count on routine and consistency in your life, try doing all of the above for two weeks. It might drive you crazy, but it will show you very clearly how much your ego resists change.

Life “Is” Evolution and Change

What we tend not to think about is the concept that life is change. From quantum particles to galaxies, everything in the entire universe is in a constant state of change. That’s how new things get created. If our ego resists change, we are resisting the forward movement of evolution and creation itself… and that includes the evolution and creation of our own life.

Think about it.

When we unconsciously resist change, we are shutting down our ability to grow and become the person we were meant to become.

Resisting Change Turns Your Life Into Invisible Background.

The great philosopher Alan Watts reminds us the only things we pay attention to in life are those things that are new and unique. Everything else turns into the invisible background of our life.

How many times have you driven somewhere and realized that when you arrived you were totally unaware of the scenery you drove through to get there? Isn’t that how we unconsciously live most of our life?

Watts is telling us that when we resist change everything in our life becomes the invisible background.

When we unconsciously resist change the only things we tend to “see” are those things that go “wrong” in our day—-the flat tire, the ATM that’s out of money, being late to work, the supper that got burned on the stove. In other words, the things that are out of our control.

It’s no wonder unhappiness is so pervasive in our lives. We are so busy resisting change and controlling our lives, the only things we tend to “see” are those things that are outside our control.

When we unconsciously try to make our life “routine and unchanging” all we are doing is turning everything into “background”. All we “see” are those things that disrupt our unchanging background routine.

What is so sad about this simple reality is the fact that our ego unconsciously resists not only the things that make life exciting and unique, it ignores or avoids “seeing” everything in the ever-changing, creative, constantly “becoming” evolving universe.

When we unconsciously avoid change, the entire universe disappears into the invisible, unconscious background. We not only sleep-walk through life, we too disappear into the invisible background for everyone around us. The universe disappears. We disappear. Our life disappears.

And we wonder why we are so unhappy, depressed, and bored with life.

If this makes sense to you, and I hope it does, try incorporating some of the following spiritual practices into your day-to-day life to help you awaken.

Some Spiritual Practices to Awaken Your Consciousness

Learn to intentionally pay attention to the positive things that happen in your life. Don’t worry about the negative things that disrupt the “routine” in your life, you will “see” those things automatically.

Every month try to add something new in your life——a new hobby, volunteer some time to a cause in your community that makes sense to you, or incorporate time for quiet reflection and get to know yourself better. Keep life interesting. Keep adding new things to the invisible background of your life because whatever you add this month will eventually become part of the invisible “background”.

Awaken your consciousness by learning to pay attention to your breath. Remind yourself as often as you can that you only have a limited number of breaths left in your life.

Get creative. Look for ways to expand on these ideas.

I make it a point to walk three to five miles every other day. I call it my walking meditation – healthy exercise time. I intentionally look for things in the “background” that bring me a sense of gratitude. Keep in mind——if you’re not intentionally searching for them, you won’t see them.

I occasionally count my breaths for a while and then wonder how many more I will have. I find it to be an effective spiritual practice to awaken and be more conscious.

Summary: Tear Down the Fence of Daily Routine

Tear down the fence of “daily routine”. It is not only unconsciously turning you and your whole life into invisible “background”, but it’s also keeping you a prisoner to the amazing, awesome, incredible opportunity you have to fully experience the gift called “your life”.

Of course, to experience and awaken your consciousness to the reality of your life, you will have to learn to fully and openly embrace change.

Whenever you are bored, unhappy, or experiencing other negative emotions in your life, just use those feelings as a wake-up call to look for whatever it is you’re resisting.

You could be resisting your whole life.

Ok, where did you go? Do something different so I can “see” you. Ah…….there you are!