In the past 10 years, so much has changed for humanity. We humans have only very recently stopped using stone tools, and yet our brains haven’t changed much since then. Are we equipped to handle the world we live in today? New inventions, new ideas and social trends, new laws prohibiting things, new laws legalizing other things, new conflicts, new problems and new challenges are emerging faster and faster. How can a simple human being keep up? I’m going to explore these ideas in this article, and by the end, hopefully we’ll both be able to breath deep and find a bit of respite among the frantic winds of change.

We are all aware of the problems facing humanity today. In the developing world, it is things like lack of running water, lack of sanitation and the general quality of life. In the developed world, it is the ever-growing, ever-present spectre of terrorism, war, massive immigration. It is the ever-deepening division in the political landscape, the increasing disconnect between public officials and the public. It is the ever-more-frequent and ever-more-deadly mass shootings, the ever-more-dreadful terrorist attacks. It is a never-satisfied public, and it is a never-stopping 24/7 media cycle. Everything must be new, everything must be different, everything must change.

But, how can we change our response to all this? How can we break through the cycle of change and find our way to stability? How can we find a life that is both happy and fulfilling?

We can only do that by understanding that our lives are governed by the two fundamental forces of change and stability. These forces are in constant conflict, and as a result, we are constantly feeling bombarded by change. This is something that has always been true, and always will be true as long as humans are around to relate to the world. But, as with all things, there are good and bad ways to deal with it. As with all things, there is a way to make the best of it.

The first thing to realize is that change is not inherently bad. Change is the only constant in the universe. It is the force that drives evolution, that drives our lives forward instead of backwards into stagnation. There is order in change, in that sense. Every moment is different from the last, and every moment is built on the last. Change is the only thing that keeps us alive. Without it, we would all be frozen in time, forever the same.

Let’s dive into technological change for a moment. Is it necessarily bad that cell phones are getting smarter and smarter, and that the technology that powers them is changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up? It seems overwhelming at first, but the answer is no, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. There are people in the world who want to spend their time (and their careers) innovating, in order to provide better and more efficient devices for the rest of us.

And think about the explosion of information that we have access to. Information that we can use to better our lives. The main reason for that is because there are people who want to spend their time innovating in order to provide more efficient and more effective methods of getting information to us. So feel at peace with wanting the newest and latest phone: and be at peace with not being able to afford a new one every month too. It’s a tricky balance.

But, back to my point. Change is not bad.

I used the word “fundamental” to describe the two forces of change and stability. It is because they are fundamental to our lives that they are in constant conflict. Think about it. We cannot stop change. We can only slow it, and even that is a temporary (often counterproductive) effort.

Take for example, legal change. The law is often thought of as written in stone. Pages and pages of dense, always-applicable minute legalese that is locked away in giant tombstones of paper. But in fact, laws change all the time. It would be unthinkable for alcohol to be banned or illegal now, and insane to be punished by jail for drinking. And yet, in the 1920s, the prohibition reigned, and all of those things were the norm. Don’t believe me? You can find out more information on the history of the prohibition here.

Right now (at the time of writing, 2021) we are in fact living through another great change, and we hardly realize that we are living through history. Softer drugs such as marijuana are becoming decriminalized, or even legalized. Only in certain places in the world, but more and more are following the trend as time goes on. Popular brands are emerging every day, in much the same way that the great iconic brands of alcohol were established at the end of the prohibition. New, semi-related substances (for example) are emerging all the time in fields such as this. Change is constant.

Pointing out all of this may seem unsettling, but here’s a useful lens to view this through: Rather than trying to resist change, to stop change, to prevent it, instead, realize that many of the things that you take for granted as fixed and static (such as the laws relating to substances), are in fact in constant flux. In fact, there are very few things in your life that are truly irreversibly set in stone. So learn to let go, and realize that everything in life is constantly changing. It’s difficult to accept at first, but once you let go, you’ll feel a sense of ease. As they say, you may even learn to “Go with the flow”.