Stop Trying to Change the World!
Enough is Enough
The world is changing, with or without us.
We are also changing, with or without our attention.
These are two very difficult truths to accept.
If you’re like me, you spend a lot of energy trying to prevent and predict changes. Ruminating on our lists of “should’ve’s” and perseverating on our list of “need to’s.” Our predictions attaching us to our past and our obsessions grounding us in uncertainty.
Our desire for control is rarely met with actual control. Our minds and bodies, rooted in the impossible, become desperate. Our awareness is overtaken by fear of the unknown–which is every thing and every one outside of our present awareness.
“The desire for security and the feeling of insecurity are the same thing. To hold your breath is to lose your breath.” Alan Watts
We work overtime trying to bend the changing world in our favor. We know what’s “best” for the world, and ourselves, so let’s do some “good!”
The problem is, that’s the same logic that has justified war, genocide, and (probably?) most crimes. When our choices are driven by fear and insecurity, we create a world at odds with itself. A zero sum reality where “our good” must defeat “their bad.”
Without our awareness, this rejection of change puts us back on the carousel of suffering: up and down, around and around, over and over again. “We” win some and lose some, “they” win some and lose some.
Each of us taking our turn with the upper hand and inevitably dealing our future selves (or our posterity) a bad hand. Shifting through roles, sometimes we get to be “us” and sometimes we’re cast as “them.” Our grasping for control generates a world out of control.
“When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us.” Alan Watts
When in fear, our limited energy, attention, and awareness are directed to the aspects of life we can’t control, including the “others.” We slowly become prisoners to an uncertain future, a stale past, and our “good will” to change the world to meet our individual need for security.
And, our story of here and now, the one aspect of life where we actually do have control, remains empty and unspoken. Overcrowded by racing thoughts and futile effort. Our boundless nature, accessible only here and now, is silenced.
We can begin healing by stopping. Often.
Practicing presence is the antidote. Accepting, embracing, and loving the mystery of life by diving into it, fully.
Pausing, breathing, and bringing awareness into here and now requires us to trust in something beyond ourselves.
Luckily, you don’t have to listen to me for advice on what to trust, just consult whichever spiritual tradition that resonates with you. Ancient cultures, scriptures, and ancient and modern gurus have taught this for generations.
Release control and trust in ________. There’s no right answer on this fill in the blank. It’s important here at The Story of One, Every One, that each person’s relationship with the world beyond our perception is respected. There are plenty of secular choices as well, so you won’t have to pledge your loyalty or hand over any money to discover trust in the unknown. We actually do it all the time.
As we learn to trust in something beyond ourselves (even if it’s our future self who we trust will have what they need to figure out our future problems, once they are actual problems) we unlock the ability to be present.
Rather than change the world, we can notice and appreciate the changing world. The cells that make “you” are not the cells that used to make “you.” At one point we were all EMBROYS (I’m yelling, in case you couldn’t tell)! You can’t take credit for the whole journey since then, so whatever story explains how you started there and are now a thinking being reading this article…that’s where you can turn, it got you this far!
So let’s stop. Often. Be here. Trust that the future will hold what you need to face whatever it bring. Trust that the past was necessary and that we needed all of it to have this beautiful now.
So what would happen if we stopped trying to change the world, and turned inward to accept and embrace, offering our whole self to here and now?
We would set ourselves free.
Free to enjoy our unpredictable, beautiful life. Free to grow and learn through every experience. Free to participate rather than ruminate. Free to love one another, rather than fear the “other.” Free to focus on the difference we make, rather than the stance we take. Free to rise above the insanity and offer our humanity. Free to behold our own unfolding. Free of stuff, enough could be enough. Free to savor the mystery of our one unique story. Free to enjoy the peace of presence. Free to turn inward, and release genuine love outward. Free to set an intention and direct our attention. Free to feel and heal. Free to hold what can be held, in this brief, beautiful moment.
Free to be the change we seek to make, here, now.
Offering what we can with what we have. This is always enough.
This is what it actually means to give everything we have. It’s the only thing we have to offer. Our presence, our attention, and our awareness.
This was originally posted on my Substack, The Story of One, Every One.
