Opening your eyes

My wife and I were having a chat last night - you know the sort of chat I mean, where you've got the kids to bed, doing a few household chores, its quiet and you just start freewheeling with your tongue (so to speak) and we got on to the subject change and how people do or don't. Now just to clarify I'm talking about changing your way of life, not your hairstyle (although thats a way of life for some folks), those grand and important changes that fundamentally challenge and change how you live.

So we were talking about change and it got me to thinking about how we as humans view the world around us. We live our lives and construct an idea of how our world is structured, where it starts and ends and what is acceptable to us and what may constitute a risk. I could waffle on forever about different aspects of this but I want to challenge the idea of stagnation and the fear of change. As you grow older you become less flexible (unless you do Yoga (Dan!)) and less able to adapt. at least thats what we're told. My belief is that fear of not being able to adapt is what makes us less able to adapt. Wow what a mouthful. This inability to change as you age is not, in my view, natural but a product of a fear society. We are taught that the world is dangerous and frightening and we need to protect ourselves from it with layers of security like insurance and friends and family, weapons (in some countries) and other protections.

Back to the subject of change. We got on to talking about where in the world we would live if we could. The consensus of opinion was:

San Francisco

Adelaide

Christchurch

So what I'm trying to say is if change frightens you ask yourself why. Why is it frightening. Is it the unknown and if so why does it frighten you now that your older when it didn't previously. Because you're taught to fear and then sold protection from that fear so you will be a dutiful taxpayer that is predictable and malleable.

Now these you may think were flippant statements made on the spur of the moment without any intent to make them a reality so let me clarify and give you an example. In 2006/07 my wife and I at the tender ages of 32 and 33, sold all our possessions, quit our jobs and travelled the world for 13 months. For two people with established careers, a home and mortgage this was a big deal, at least thats what we were told. And yet the biggest deal to us was making the decision to do it, and here's the funny thing. That decision was made in about 10 seconds. The end of a long working day. Nothing spectacular happened, just run of the mill. But it was that mundanity (I think its a word) that helped us choose to change.

When we are young we're less aware of risk therefore we don't develop these different layers of protection, yet strangely enough we don't explode or die or are spirited away by aliens etc. So why should we believe it will happen as we grow older.

So five years later, a mortgage and two kids in tow are we now afraid to change. No! I've heard lots of reasons not to change your life, mainly from friends and family about their own, too many debts, kids, mortgage, friends etc yet none of those excuses (and yes I use the word excuses) cut any mustard with me. They are the protections that reinforce the fear. What happens if mentality. You could apply that to your everyday life as well rather than just to change that frightens you.

Rant over, waffled too long.

Below is the link to Michael Crichtons book State of Fear which I reference above. Alot of discussion about his book in environmental circles as it discussing global warming and the manmade (or not) changes in the global environment. Lots of people arguing over accuracy and the points it tries to make however the thing I took from this book was the title. Regardless of the science involved one thing that is clear is that to manage a global economy and society it is easier to reinforce a state of fear in the populace to ensure that they remain malleable and stationary. What do you think?

State Of Fear