"Change Here for the Future"
| "Change Here for the Future" | |
| Cross-roads The one immutable law of the universe is that everything changes. Yet we, as a species, persist in hanging on to outmoded viewpoints and attitudes that we recognise as being detrimental to our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. The universe continues to expand, the earth pursues its circling of our sun, and the seasons come and go; yet we cling to our narrow outlook, as though to change our minds would result in the rendering of our personalities. By its very nature, evolution has made us wary of change, forcing us to adapt to changes in our environment, and so becoming the masters of adaptability. Somewhere along the way we took a wrong turn in the road. It is as though we came to a roundabout and missed the turn off. With our increased brain capacity we stopped trying to adapt to our environment and, instead, worked at trying to adjust our environs to suit us; acting like a troop of monkeys tampering with a delicate mechanism beyond our narrow limits of comprehension. Round and round we go, with civilisations rising and falling because we have neglected to come to terms with our own basic natures. A predicament that is reflected in our relationships with ourselves and those with whom we coexist. We have come down from the trees but we still have one hand on the trunk. We consider ourselves to be the brightest species on the planet, yet, if any other animal was to make the same daily mistakes as we do, it would not live to see the sun set. |
| This mastery of our surroundings has become our biggest stumbling block. More and more we now attempt to control situations around us, and in doing so we avoid using our talent to adjust to the situation. It is ironic that the more we progress the more conservative we become. We want 'things' to change, when the basic problem is that it is we who need to change to meet differing circumstances. Once we have made up our minds about a set of circumstances we resist any modifications to that mind set. Any perceived attack upon our belief system is interpreted as an attack upon our egos. A case of one having made up our mind and not wishing to be confused by the facts. So many of us want our lives to change for something that we perceive as being better. To change our external circumstances without having to make the effort of having to change our internal landscapes. Without undergoing the attitude changes that would make life style changes possible. If there is any magic in the world it is that we have the ability to change ourselves. The ability to dream of, plan for, and put into practice the reinvention of ourselves. It is neither easier nor more difficult than making oneself physically fit. If we see the task as a drudge, we make it reciprocally more difficult. If we see it as a labour of love, enjoying each incremental step, we set ourselves a task that is well within our capabilities. So many of us find it extremely difficult to change our attitudes, seeing them as an inherent part of the mood we are in at any given time. It is the dichotomy between intellect and emotion. All events, situations, and even words - those tools of the intellect - carry some degree of emotional loading; varying in form and degree from culture to culture and person to person. Consider football, snails, chess, gardening, etc. In each case the situation or the word alone evokes different responses in people, responses that range from a rush of adrenaline to total boredom. |
| It is not the words in themselves that are the governing factors, it is our reaction to what they stand for. That reaction does not come fully blown at our first encounter but is a cultured response largely dependent upon the reactions of those who influence us. From those introductory encounters there grows a conditioned response, a habitual way of looking at any particular stimulus and other related incidents. So we develop the habitual thinking patterns that influence our lives; the wallpaper of our minds. We pride ourselves on our free will whilst in reality so much of our way of looking at things has been pre-decided for us. Our minds were actually made up for us, yet we defend our received attitudes with a whole range of trickery and even violence. Desperately striving to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Once we have settled our viewpoint for ourselves it becomes tagged with an emotion, whether that emotion is appropriate or not. The emotions that should empower us, now swamp our reasoning faculties, sweeping all common sense before them and we find ourselves in situations that are not, in a direct sense, of our own will. |
| We have an evolutionary disposition to react negatively to that which is not 'us', that which is different; and that negative bias has been shaped in various ways by the society that raised us. Instead of being taught to manage our own emotions, we are raised to respond to them, and take the consequences when that response does not meet the approval of our peers. Society has always been founded on the necessary control of the individual's emotions. Not by the internal management of the individual concerned, but by society from without. By the fostering of illusions and the management of consent. A control that pays small heed to the welfare of the individual but is shaped by the desires of those who control that society. When society starts to crumble, as all societies do, we are left with a situation of increasing anarchy in which everyone concerned pays the price. When people are not trained to accept full responsibility for their actions, anarchy inevitably descends into chaos. How much better for each of us, and for society as a whole, if we learn to manage our emotions, deciding our moods for ourselves instead of waiting for an emotion to hijack our reasoning powers, then having to deal with its effects. Emotional reactions quickly become a closed circuit; the brain producing chemicals that produce effects that produce the outflow of more chemicals, ad nauseum. As in all things, we increase our chances for success if we acquaint ourselves with the materials with which we have to work. |
| That the Theory of Evolution is beyond question, is generally accepted by anyone with the minimum of formal education. Ironically, it is that overall agreement which has led to vehement controversy among scientists. At one extreme we have those who, in accepting that we are animals that share 99% of the genetic material of the primates, postulate that human aggression and violent behaviour is inevitable. At the other extreme are the followers of B. F. Skinner's behaviourist school of psychology, stating that a child can be conditioned to be anything that it's indoctrinators choose for it. A view reflected in the Jesuit creed, 'Give me the child, and you give me the adult.' Either view displays a cynical disregard for our own capabilities, seeing us as helpless victims of either our genetic imperatives or the dictates of authoritative control freaks. Each ignores the fact that we have both the right and ability to write our own scripts. |
| During the writing of this book I have had cause to sit and ponder upon my own life. Upon my capabilities, health, age and financial position, against the background of the current economic and political situation; and of the possible futures that lie ahead of me. I am confident in that whatever comes down the turnpike, I will handle it. I know that each day I will be ready for any opportunities that present themselves. I am not predicting the future, but I am predicting my role in it. The way in which I face events will be of my own choosing, not just a reaction to them. It was not always this way for me, the road has been long and not without its ups and downs. Some years were like a casual stroll in the sunshine, while others were more in the nature of a struggle up a scree of loose stones, or a wallow in the slough of despondency. It wasn't until I decided to take control of my own life, using the full extent of the knowledge learned along the way, that it began to take shape to my own satisfaction. The system so constructed has worked well, for me and for those others who have chosen to adopt the methods. In the face of everything, my life continues to improve, solely due to a belief system that delivers the ability to reshape my attitude towards it; to choose my mood to be whatever is appropriate at any given time. It has taken me longer than I feel it should have done, but better now than never. I offer the text of those endeavours as an aid to becoming aware of the range of choices available to each of us, and to help signpost the road for other travellers. |
| The human psyche is greater than the sum of its individual parts. It is a matter of getting those parts to work together. Much attention has been paid to singular development of the intellectual or emotional or physical sides of our natures; often at the expense of neglecting the other facets. It is my intention to demonstrate that we have more than one brain, that each of those brains has its own mind, and each of those minds has its own form of intelligence. I believe that it is only when those separate intelligences are brought to work in conjunction with each other that the full flowering of the psyche is made possible. I have seen and experienced many instances when it has suddenly blossomed into its own, demonstrating capabilities that raise one beyond the mundane. Most of these experiences have been of limited time span; as though a seed had briefly flourished in a ground that had been improperly prepared. My concern is with the nourishment and development of the capabilities that are within each of us. The rewards of cultivating and managing our inbuilt resources are way beyond normal expectations. Integration and enthusiasm are the keys. It is the difference between being the owner of a fine sailing ship, or owning a demolition yard full of bits of wood, rope, ironware, etc. People who try to develop only one aspect of their personalities can be likened to someone who uses all of the resources from the yard to build a superb figurehead. All very nice, but rather pointless if it is stuck on the bows of a garbage scow; or used as an ornament to impress others. |