Change
In this political season the catch-word is change. Its an interesting word, fraught with complexity. At the heart of the work of wisdom is also change called transformation or metamorphosis. So what kinds of changes are possible, and is the political catch-word the same thing as wisdom’s way of working?
An answer might be possible if we consider three different meanings (or aspects) of change. There are parallels to spiritual change (or transformation) to changes in the physical world. The first is Swiftly Reversible Changes. These are changes that come about as a result of emotional and affective shifts within a person or a society. They have to do with temporary swings of mood, emotion, or fashion. They might come as a result of meeting new people, seeing a new movie, watching TV, or reading a book on some new fascinating topic, which causes us to change some aspect of our behavior. This is usually temporary, and we easily fall back into the old patterns again.
The second is Environmental Adaptation which means that an individual or a society’s attitude, behavior, or language changes because of association or membership in some new form or movement. Perhaps there is a change of vocation, work space, school, or someone moves to a new location, or society experiences some new event (natural or otherwise). It shifts things in the environment, and so individuals adapt and change, but those change are largely external, and should the environment shift back or change again—more adaptation will occur.
The third is Genotypic Change which means that there is an actual altering of the form of something from the inside out (in the physical world, at a genetic level). Something fundamental reconfigures itself on the inside. It might be triggered by the outside, but the shifts are largely interior rather than external (thought they affect external behaviors). For example, a person looses a loved one, or experiences new insight—and the actual form, personality, or worldview of that person begins to shift radically. They are never the same again. On a physical level this might be some mutation that triggers evolutionary change. On a spiritual level it is some basic change of form at the level of the heart. It is not egoic, but kardial. These explanations are crucial in understanding wisdom’s way and wisdom’s work.
An answer might be possible if we consider three different meanings (or aspects) of change. There are parallels to spiritual change (or transformation) to changes in the physical world. The first is Swiftly Reversible Changes. These are changes that come about as a result of emotional and affective shifts within a person or a society. They have to do with temporary swings of mood, emotion, or fashion. They might come as a result of meeting new people, seeing a new movie, watching TV, or reading a book on some new fascinating topic, which causes us to change some aspect of our behavior. This is usually temporary, and we easily fall back into the old patterns again.
The second is Environmental Adaptation which means that an individual or a society’s attitude, behavior, or language changes because of association or membership in some new form or movement. Perhaps there is a change of vocation, work space, school, or someone moves to a new location, or society experiences some new event (natural or otherwise). It shifts things in the environment, and so individuals adapt and change, but those change are largely external, and should the environment shift back or change again—more adaptation will occur.
The third is Genotypic Change which means that there is an actual altering of the form of something from the inside out (in the physical world, at a genetic level). Something fundamental reconfigures itself on the inside. It might be triggered by the outside, but the shifts are largely interior rather than external (thought they affect external behaviors). For example, a person looses a loved one, or experiences new insight—and the actual form, personality, or worldview of that person begins to shift radically. They are never the same again. On a physical level this might be some mutation that triggers evolutionary change. On a spiritual level it is some basic change of form at the level of the heart. It is not egoic, but kardial. These explanations are crucial in understanding wisdom’s way and wisdom’s work.
posted by Lynn Bauman at 6:52 AM
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