Nothing is nature stands still. Why do we insist we do?
Adaptability is the ability to change, without it we are just living in our past. Our past is a has-been, memories to be reflected on, lessons to be built upon, but not a place to reside.
Change is the vehicle of evolution. It is the guide to the future, the direction to flow. It is a function of life, as is evidenced in nature.
Nature has an innate understanding of adaptability, which is instrumental to longevity.
She is in harmony with the seasons. Everything has its time progressing fluidly through the process of discard and renewal. Animals grow or shed their fur, plants sprout, grow, flower then go dormant, while all along the moon travels through its phases, from full to a sliver and back again. The cycles create a framework in which all adapt.
Humans are masters at holding on to what was, keeping us trapped in a world that no longer exists. Innately many resist change, with an unfounded ferocity, even when we know it is for our best good.
And yet, we are willing to adjust to the latest technology waiting in line for hours to get the new iPhone, or for the newest automobile with the most up to date gadgets, even though the one we have is only a few years old.
Why are we so eager to adapt to meaningless external circumstances, but are inflexible to internal changes? We misplace our identity when we think the newest technology is a part of who we are.
The current headlines of Keanu Reeves and his new paramour have ruffled my feathers. The example may be a stretch to make my point, but the lack of willingness to accept what is out of the norm astounds me.
Who the heck cares that he is dating? Period. The fact she is a civilian, not a celebrity and has allowed her hair to follow the course of nature, good for her! What outrages me most are the articles about how she has singlehandedly given 40-year-olds the permission and courage to age! What the heck?
Why are we so easily manipulated by media and yet so reticent to make a change within ourselves unless we have the social acceptance first? We are quick to judge, to offer our unasked for opinions, yet the idea of altering our way of thinking can be stifling for many.
Perhaps there is a deep knowing that if we change our way of thinking, our lives will change, and we are fearful of the unknown.
But fear always lurks over us, and if fear is preventing us from moving forward, it is best addressed by FDR.
The only thing to fear is fear itself.
Franklin D Roosevelt
To adapt is vital to forward-thinking and more importantly to longevity. Mother earth is the queen of adaptability. In spite of the devastation we are imposing on our habitat, it is only causing our demise. We can change her geology, disrupt her composition, burn her forests and melt the icecaps, but she will continue to adapt to whatever is thrown at her.
Long after she sluffs off the human race, she will continue to flourish. The landscape and topography may be altered, the climate will change and the species able to live here will have adjusted. Still, through her ability to adapt, she will survive the destruction humankind has forced upon her, just as she has survived the ice age and dinosaurs.
To let go of the rigidity of our thought, our unaltering cockiness and our disdain for those who step outside of societal norms is a good place to start.
The evolution of our thought will determine how we coexist with nature and how we excel in our personal quests for self-actualization.
Let us take our cue from mother earth’s wisdom. She is the essence of adaptability. Adaptability Equals Longevity.
Life must be lived as it is, and you cannot live at all, if you do not adapt yourself to your life as it happens to be.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt