Ever notice how the more things change the more some people stay the same?
To resist change is to deny who we are. Like our cells, we naturally react to stimuli in order to maintain balance, or we die. Making adjustments to this universal flux is how we adapt, learn, and grow.\
Greek philosopher Heraclitus declared in 500 BC, “The only thing that is constant is change.” Heraclitus has not been proven wrong. So why do some people prefer to put on their cleats and bury their heads in the sand?
Franz Fanon, a philosopher and psychiatrist, called this condition of denial Cognitive Dissonance.
In his book Black Skin, White Skin he wrote:
Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with the core belief.
Fanon speaks about fear. Whether we move ourselves forward or resist change comes down to the strength of our beliefs and fears and their hold over us. Our beliefs determine our thoughts and feelings, which determine our words and actions. What we see manifest around us is based solidly in what we believe to be true or not. This explains why ten people will report ten different scenarios to describe one car accident. Each sees from his perspective based on a belief system.
Our beliefs create our personal reality in ways that impact our greater reality. When beliefs are based in fear, we naturally contract into a protective bubble. We see a one-world view instead of taking a risk to see the possibilities of other worlds. If we believe there is only one way – our way – then we limit ourselves and deny our true potential. When we constantly reinforce our own beliefs, we prevent meaningful interaction and the ability to find common ground.
“What you resist persists.”
When Psychologist Carl Jung said this, he was describing the shadow self. He saw that those who resisted aspects of themselves found that those traits persisted and grew. They created a negative feedback loop, a cycle of resistance. Such a cycle is energetic in nature. Thoughts of limitation and denial feed on themselves. What you believe you cannot do, you won’t do.
How to break out of the cognitive dissonant cycle of limitation? Embrace your fears and your shadows. Embrace all that you are. See them as a gift so you can move outside your bubble of fear which prevents your own evolution. Don’t fight inevitable change. If we are open to other’s views, then our vistas naturally expand. We witness outcomes we never expected. We better reflect the nature of our cells. We more easily adapt and come into balance, not only with ourselves but with everyone around us.
