The challenge of adaptation
It is not easy at all to adapt to a new reality, but do not forget that adaptability is one of the most important attributes of humanity, constituting one of the elements that distinguish the human from the animal species, in the fight for survival on the physical plane.
Do not be afraid of changes. Get used to them; and, moreover, learn to direct them, so you are not swept aside by those that come from outside, contradicting, often, your personal interests. Instead of looking at changes as an agonizing fatality, understand them as an exciting adventure, which it is up to you to experience it to grow, in order for you to correct faulty points in your existence or in yourself, becoming happier and more fulfilled.
Modern civilization has become a fast-paced world in which there is no longer room for anachronistic, utopian and infantile ideas of eternal constancy. Accept the inevitability of the evanescence of everything. Nothing is forever — in its superficial aspects of manifestation —, although the essence of everything is immutable. People grow old and die, no matter how much we love them. If they do not leave us, death will separate us from them in one or another dimension of Life. Fortunes come and go, knowledge becomes obsolete, intelligence can be surpassed by a level of superior genius. There is nothing perpetual. So, live the change, the constant pursuit of excellence, the flexibility, the versatility and adaptability in all contexts and habitats; live up to self-sufficiency, to the detachment, to the learning of pursuing and experiencing of happiness for now, without distressing yourself for “the after”, even though one ought, paradoxically, plan the future and, as we have just proposed, even manage, when possible, the process of personal change.
Some things are permanent, among them, even, the principle of impermanence. Love, honesty, justice, the ideal of service and commitment to self-realization are principles that exist, in any time or circumstance, and must be rigorously followed, under penalty of suffering serious consequences. However, the forms of expression of these principles, in each situational picture and specific groupings of people, vary to infinity. This is what we are talking about. We do not, therefore, postulate here the cheap novelty, the rebellious and irresponsible spirit of who wants to be against, or who cannot stick to anything or anyone, nor can establish commitments or responsibilities. We present here, instead, an existential reality of the human being: the need for constant evolution, the uncontrollable impulse of progress, to which the mind must be habituated, in order to avoid serious losses, in all departments of life.
Think about it carefully, think about it now. Do not hold yourself too tightly in your present moment, for what is fresh rots, and you may soon be intoxicated with the nauseating odors of the rotten meats of your cadaverous dreams. Release, lose yourself and flow with Life. The future is always better than the present, when today is lived well. To hold on to the past that is dead, or to the present that is fluid, is equivalent to wanting to stop the steams of a river, to drink them or to accumulate them, provoking floods, or worse: the rotting of the still waters. You have the right and even the duty to persist in the pursuit of your dreams, but you cannot be stuck to specific ways in which they manifest themselves, in a given time or existential conjuncture. Let go of the flesh of the imaginary and egoic aspects of your dreams, and focus on the soul of your ideal, which can adapt to any context or circumstance.
Be happy by trusting in the Flow of Life. Trust in God, trust in yourself. Rely on time and your personal problem-solving ability. Believe in the power of Good and in the final victory of Truth. If not, the anxiety and the anguish of now and the sadness and panic of tomorrow will be fatal to you, troubling your existence and withdrawing from you every possibility of being happy and at peace.
Eugênia-Aspásia (Spirit)
Benjamin Teixeira de Aguiar (Medium)
June 13, 2000