Questioner: Why is change in life so difficult? When I was younger, I was excited by change, I would look forward to it, was happy when it happened. As I’m growing older, I try to avoid it as much as possible. Not able to cope when it happens.
Sadhguru: It all depends who is initiating the change!
Questioner: Maybe! But, is there something like an appropriate response to change?
Sadhguru: One reason why change is becoming difficult as you get older is – you have found cocoons of comfort. There are many comfort zones you created. Any disturbance of that, you’re disturbed now. When you were young, you were not looking for comfort, you were looking for life. Now you’re not looking for life, you’re looking for comfort. Safety!
See, when you were 16, 18 – you had wild dreams as to what you want to do with your life. By the time you became 25, you cut down all the frills, and thought this is all not practical, I am becoming practical now. All that happened is, you were becoming a coward. But you said, I’m becoming practical and cut down many things and said – if I get a job, if I earn my living, this, this, this – is okay. By the time you’re 35, you’re thinking, if I don’t get into any trouble that’s enough. You’re not looking forward to anything great happening. If I don’t get into trouble, that’s enough. But that’s when you start getting into trouble.
The more security oriented you are, the more disturbed you will be, with every change that happens in your life
So you are not looking at life with zest. You’re looking at life as safety. The more security oriented you are, the more disturbed you will be, with every change that happens in your life. The essence of physical existence is change, isn’t it? Isn’t it so? Everything is changing. Is there anything that’s not changing? Everything in the existence is changing, isn’t it? The physical existence is constantly changing. The very essence of physical reality is change. Nothing is constant. Even the so-called static states are dynamic in nature – everything is changing. So if you resist change, you’re resisting life.
If you resist change, you’re resisting life
If you want an unchanging life, there’s one beautiful place where nothing changes – that’s your grave. Either you must go to your grave or you must get enlightened, if you don’t want change. Then somewhere inside everything is same. But otherwise, as long as you’re a part of the physical process of the existence, everything is change. There is nothing that is not changing. See this moment, you’re inhaling. Next moment, you’re exhaling. It’s change, isn’t it? If you don’t want change, you stop it. So when you resist change, you must understand you’re resisting the very process of life.
