Change. Why does this word bring out the worst in people? Why are people afraid of change?

We constuct our days, bit by bit, week by week, year by year. Our lives take on a routine, and then we bemoan that routine. Predictability is a double edged blade of comfort and boredom. We long for it, we build it, and when we find it, we reject it.

Because while change is not always growth, growth is ALWAYS rooted in change. We must seek change. Because inside, we know that we must seek change to grow. Not all people possess the courage to accept change. Some desire and cling to the comfort of routine. They become enslaved to the predictability of their daily lives. They seek solace in the fact that they have found their place. That things are the way they are supposed to be, and that there is nothing left in life to explore.

On a larger scale, these same people become resentful-sometimes to extremes that defy logic-of anything or anyone that intrudes on their little world. A societal change, an attitude shift in a far away country, or events that have nothing to do with them personally can set off a reaction of hate and fear. That is the road that we straddle, between comfort and change. There are those who find comfort and satisfaction in the former, and those who are forever seeking something different, for the benefit of all.

It is my guess, that the fears of the former are rooted in the greatest mystery of all, death. It is no accident that those who construct the thickest walls are most often rooted firmly, immovably, in their religious faith. The here and now is as it is, and the better way will be found in the afterlife. That proposition is central to the core beliefs that guide the faithful, with, for many, the added caveat that the afterlife will only fulfill its promise if the here and now remains in strict accord with the guiding principles of their chosen God.

I count myself among the other group, those seeking a constant change.How can you grow as a person, indeed as a (human) race, if you constantly cling to outdated ideals, and books written thousands of years ago. It is not just boredom that propels me along paths unknown. But a firm belief that the guiding principle of life must be a search not for what is, but for what could be. To look at injustice or oppression, at poverty or slavery, and shrug helplessly, or worse to twist a "god's word" to justify such states, is anathema to the ideal. And to me, the ideal is achieved only when the ideal is sought. The ideal is not a gift from "gods" but a promise of something higher.

We are possessed of reason. We are possessed of generosity. We are possessed of sympathy and empathy. We have within us a better nature, and it is one that cannot be confined by the constructed walls of religious hatred and fear. Within the very logic of that better nature, a perfect life CANNOT be found in this world, which is imperfect.

So I dare you to seek change. Even knowing that you will not get to "heaven" in this life is no excuse to hide within the comfort of routine. Because it is in that seeking of change, in that desire to improve ourselves and to improve the world around us, that we will truely walk the road of enlightenment.

Thank you for taking the time to read.