Feeling the need for change.

Question from the Internet:

“Why have some members of society decided to cling to their old way?”

Our inherent nature is that we are drawn to rest and immobility. Any changes or movement requires energy and motivation. So when we feel pleasant and satisfied in our present situation, we do not want to move or change.

And when it comes to motivation, we use either attraction for greater, more enticing pleasures or actual or feared pain and suffering as reasons to expand energy to change and move.

And when it comes to changing ourselves, it is even more difficult. Changing ourselves, changing “our ways”, is totally abhorrent to us. We would rather change everybody else and the whole world around us than change ourselves and “our ways”.

On the other hand, what we are gradually realizing as the global crisis is deepening and worsening around us is that unless we actually change our inherently selfish, subjective and egocentric ways and how we relate to others, we will not be able to comprehend our global problems let alone solve them.

Without true, fundamental self-changes, we cannot safeguard our continuing, collective human survival in Nature’s fully integrated and interdependent system. So we need every means possible to help people understand and “viscerally” feel the need for changes.