"This Week" by the
Bahrain Meditation Centre
19th May

Are YOU a Change Master?

If the vertical axis is the speed of change in the world, and the horizontal axis is time i.e. the last two thousand years, how would you draw the line to depict the pace of change during the last two millennia? Very flat, but slowly rising over the last 1,960 years, and then a sudden upward curve to an almost vertical line to depict the last 40 years. It would be an exponential curve. The pace of change in the world is now exponential in almost every area of life and the more the curve steepens upwards it seems the effect on the 'quality of life', for most, goes downwards. It is an accelerated process of change that is driven by technology. We have shrunk the world as we send vast amounts of data across vast distances in all directions at lightning speeds.

And yet what do most people do when faced with change? They resist. Why? Fear! Fear of what? The unknown some would say, but how can you fear what you do not know. The fear behind all resistance to any change is not the fear of the unknown, but the fear of losing what you already know or already have. And that usually comes down to one of seven things – position, power, pay, possessions, people, prestige (reputation in the eyes of others) or some privileges. When you see anyone resisting any change, including yourself, you can usually trace it to the fear of losing one of these seven things.

And yet can you, in reality, hold on to any of these things? Do you still have the same money in your pocket you had four or five days ago? No, it's spent, someone else has it now. Do you still have the same job you had five, ten, twenty years ago? No, there is no straight route to the grave any more, that was grandads time! Most of us will have many jobs in our lifetime. Do you still have the same people in your life you had five, ten, twenty years ago? No, while one or two stay in your life, most come and go. Do you still have the same clothes in your wardrobe you had five, ten years ago? Yes, you do don't you? Because you don't want to let go of that old and now wholly (or should we say holy!) pair of jeans etc! And can you ever know exactly what others think of you (prestige)? No. So how can you lose what you don't know?

So what do all these things have in common? They are all forms of energy. If you stand back for a moment all you will see is different forms of energy. And what does energy have to keep doing in this world. It has to keep changing its position and its form. So put them all together and what do you get? You get a river of energy, what you could call the river of life. But what do we do with the river? We try to dam the river. We hold on to all these things and in so doing it is as if we are building a dam. And what builds up behind a dam? Pressure. This is why pressure is always self-created. No one and no thing can every make you feel pressure. It is always your own creation because you are trying to dam some part of the river of life. This is known as the DAM IT! philosophy of change management! And what happens to the water behind a dam? It becomes stagnant and smelly. So we become stagnant and smelly in our relationship with life and with others in our life. If we sense changes are coming that we do not like in an organisation for instance, we will start playing 'smelly games' like manipulation and subtle control as we try to hold on to what we think the river is about to take away (position/power etc)

This of course is not a very enlightened way to live. A more enlightened way to live is to practice the JUDO philosophy of change management. When two Judo Masters (two energies) come on the mat what is the first thing they do? They face and bow to each other as a form of mutual acknowledgement and respect. Then they embrace each other. They give each other a hug! Not because they love each other. They are practicing the first principle of many martial arts and ancient wisdoms, which is to embrace the energy that comes to you, catch its momentum, and see how you can make it work for you.

Day to day life is continuously flowing towards us with new energy, (old energy in a new form), new situations, new challenges. Every day we have a choice to try to dam that river in order to hold on to what we imagine we may lose, or embrace and go with the flow of the river, or just let the river flow gently by. It is always a choice. But if you don't see and make that choice you will likely feel either overwhelmed or perpetually pressured. You will struggle with life each day in a way that will waste your energy and eventually exhaustion may set in. All because the fear of loss and the perceived need to defend, protect and hold on to what you think you have.

The most effective way to meet the river of life is to realise our true relationship with all that we believe we have. We don't have any thing! We don't actually possess or own any thing. In the highest reality nothing, no thing, is actually 'mine'. We know from our experience of life so far that everything comes and goes. Everything will have to go, eventually. That's a bare faced reality, some would say the law of life on planet earth! If we can realise this reality, if we can live in harmony with the law, then holding on ends, the possessing ends, and the pressure, the stress, ends. We are then free, liberated from many 'Dam It' moments. We can relax into life with a quiet anticipation about what will come, a gentle curiosity about what life may bring. And where before we were busy holding on and therefore less available to receive, we are now available and therefore open to receive.

The curve of exponential change has never gone down. All exponential curves do have a climax, a peak point, but who knows when that might be or exactly what it looks like on a global scale. In the meantime as you recognise and face the challenge of this changing world are you ready, willing and able? Are you ready to embrace whatever comes? Are you willing to work with it and see how you can go forward no matter what the changes are? And are you able to let go of what is stopping you be the master of a changing world and not its victim. If you are ready, willing and able then you will likely be what is often called… a leader.

Question: What are the three most obvious changes you are currently facing that you find yourself resisting? What is it you fear losing as you face each of these changes?
Reflection: "When I change the world changes". Why is this so?
Action: Consciously embrace all the changes that come to you during this coming week and see what difference it makes both during and after the change has passed

Om Shanti
(I am a peaceful soul)
 Tel: +973-17-712 545, meditate@batelco.com.bh, www.bahrainmeditationcentre.org
Bahrain Meditation Centre is administered by B.K.W.S.U. (visit: www.bkwsu.org.uk)