Simple fear of change that leaves us vulnerable

In many cases, this kind of psychological fear, which finds its place in physical and mental states, is also manifested in other aspects of the human being. Fear of adventure, fear of risk, fear of losing something or even fear of existing.

It is often said that man is an animal with habits, and this is true. Man has many masters who have taken it upon themselves to give him certain habits that give him a sense of security in society. It is these masters who are least worried about him abandoning these habits when they have served their purpose.

We are growing up in a society that is partly born of natural and historical needs and partly shaped by the motivations that govern the movements of the great masses over a period of time. Above all, there are artificial needs that paint people in artificiality, bind them and impose change on them in a certain way. We will explain this. For example, loving and being loved is a natural need for every human being, but the social criteria of fashion make love a set of artificial demands that are almost impossible to live up to. Moreover, it is thought that emotion has to be in the form of certain possessions and certain prestigious conditions that close the door to a healthy symbiosis.

Man looks at what other people are doing and imitating these actions provides him with psychological comfort and a respectable place in society. People fight to get these things that they perceive as indispensable, and once they have them, they cannot let them go. Because if he does, he loses his stability. It is a pity that they have been imposed on him by others outside.

In the same way, fashions impose on people certain styles of manipulating language, human relations, ideas and beliefs that guarantee "normality", at least for a while. It is necessary to follow these imposed trends and change with them in order not to move one step away from the herd. This is the fear of change. Everything changes. Yes, this change is essential and can be seen as good or bad: Moving away from what is accepted by all, risking oneself to be different, and worse, losing some important values because of artificiality... The bad influence of those who want us little and those who don't want us at all, and the precarious prestige gained during a temporary style, can disappear.

The first fundamental change for us, for those who aspire to be philosophers and for those who are in love with wisdom, is to awaken consciousness. When it emerges from the formless mass of our needs and wants, physical, psychological and mental, it constitutes a set of simultaneously interconnected changes. When we live blindly, it is not important that we acquire and follow one or a few habits, but active consciousness forces us to reorient ourselves to many aspects of existence that previously seemed to have no significance.

The philosopher is used to making deep inquiries about everything, about life, about himself and his destiny. His mind is very inquisitive and keeps questioning itself about its own way of being while constantly showing him new paths of perfection. The changes put before the philosopher correspond neither to fashion nor to generalized acceptance. Rather, they are changes that show that every step is a step of transcendence. Rather than speaking of man's material wealth, of life and death, of his feelings and thoughts, we must speak of his unique and real experiences.

So why are we afraid of these special changes when we know that they carry with them only goodness and great spiritual progress?

We are afraid because man must make these changes alone. Faced with himself, when the consent of others is meaningless and again, when applause and criticism do not matter. It is clear that these changes will bring some losses while giving way to new values that are more stable and harmonious. Because every change carries risk, but every hero or beloved servant of the gods has gone through or intended to go through risky trials until he or she triumphs.

That's why, as we said at the beginning, there are those who are afraid to even exist, even though they know that once they succeed, they will rise with that success, without allowing for depression and decline. Whereas inner success has strong demands on one's own consciousness.