I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, ‘Change or Die’. It has often been used in reference to businesses needing to adapt to a rapidly changing technological world and shifting markets. It suggests that if one does not make the necessary changes to adapt to the rapidly changing environment they, or their enterprise, will perish. Additionally, there is the all too familiar understanding that humans, in general, as well as organizations and society at large, are actually slow to make change, at best, and highly resistant to it, at worst. It has been shown, for example, that most individuals, when faced with life threatening conditions such as heart disease, are often unable to carry out the changes necessary to prevent suffering a heart attack.  If we can clearly see the truth of the axiom ‘Change or Die’, then why is it so difficult to actually change?

Dying to Change

I suggest that we consider that change is, in fact, a death of sorts. Change requires destroying a particular way of being or doing, in order to establish a new way of being or doing. And, as with death, we seem to be terrified of this process. Truth be told, there is a good explanation for why this is so. It is far easier and more comfortable to live with what we already know and are accustomed to than it is to go through the difficult, challenging, and often downright painful process of developing a whole new way of being or doing. We are very reluctant to let go of the life we know, even if we know it will lead to our demise, than it is to set out on a new journey into the unknown.

“Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.” - Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement address 2005. 

And change itself is just as inevitable as death. It will come about. The question is, will you move and flow with that change? Or, will you be swept away by it? And, even more importantly, are you willing to not sit by and wait for change, but to actively engage in the process, to die to your old way of being and doing, and to begin life anew? Many spiritual paths talk about the necessity of dying and being reborn. But often times people make the mistake of seeing that as a one time occurrence. It is not. It is necessary to remake ourselves over and over again, in order to renew our lives. The moment you stop changing you have begun the dying process. This is true for companies, it is true for societies and it is true for individuals. 

While Change or Die serves as a stern warning, the axiom that serves as a clear call to action is Die to Change. I realize this is much easier said than done. I know because I am in the process of working up my own courage to enact this. I am struggling to let go of old ways that no longer serve me, and to engage in the very difficult task of establishing a whole new way of being, to incorporate new habits, to instill new disciplines, all of which I know full well will serve to enhance the quality of my life. But, there is resistance in my mind.

Tyranny of the Mind

The tyrant that has occupied the seat of power there is doing all it can to retain control and prevent me from deposing it, and reclaiming the power so that my conscious self can step up to a whole new level of being and doing. The tyrant would have me remain in the old ways, the ways that I have become accustomed to, the ways I am familiar and comfortable with. The tyrant will do everything it can to oppose my efforts to venture into the unknown and forge a new path of discovery and revitalization. But, if I give way to the tyrant then I become something akin to a zombie – the living dead. Instead, I will do whatever I must to summon the courage to let go, to die to my old ways of being and doing, and thus to catalyze the change necessary to bring a renewed vitality to this next phase of my physical existence. 
Change or Die, or Die to Change; the Choice is yours!
Rev Le Rev :: Sun Journey Enterprise :: rev@sunjourney.us
Find Rev’s bio and previous articles by clicking here

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