Nothin’s Gonna Change My World

Do you ever feel like you are living in a black and white TV and you’re the only one in color?  Like you can see all the things that others close their eyes to?  I was thinking about this the other day and it reminded me of the movie Pleasantville.  The movie is set in the 1950’s when black and white was standard fare.  Gradually, a single individual is awakened to the possibility of color, and slowly transitions to full color.  Others are not aware of the existence of color.  They were happy to plug along in black and white, ignorant to the existence of color and happy with black and white.  They saw no reason to change.  In fact they rebelled against the change.  The townspeople lashed out with violence against any people or physical items that turned to color.  Change was not welcomed.  They held on to old beliefs and wanted to force those beliefs and values on everyone else.

Here is a music video that was released with the movie.  Watch a bit of it and then continue reading while the music plays.  (The video is included to enhance your reading experience, if you are reading this from an RSS feed or email I encourage you to visit the site to embrace the full experience.)

Like this song?  Buy it on Amazon or iTunes
If you prefer the Beatles version, it’s only available in CD format. Buy it on Amazon

A time of shifting awareness

I feel like we are living in a time of shifting awareness.  Like some are beginning to open their eyes to new ideas, to the color in a black and white world.  Some approach life with an open mind, ready to accept new things without influence from past experiences or dogmas.  I’m seeing more and more people opening to life and all the wonderful experiences available to us.

I see others that are stuck in the black and white.  Not willing to listen to other views.  Not willing to accept any possibilities contrary to their own set beliefs.  People that focus in on the minute details of life and lose sight of the big picture.  Sometimes I feel bad for these folks, but other times I wonder if that is the experience they are meant to have.  Perhaps they are here to feel and live the exact experience they are having.  I don’t believe we are all here to grow spiritually.  Some may be, but I don’t see that as the primary purpose of all people on this planet.

The problem is the people that aren’t growing and changing and experiencing new things can tend to slow the growth of others.  It drives a split into the dissimilar groups.  One group with new visions of the future, the other group with the comfort of past experiences and set values.  Neither group willing to compromise.

Resistant to change

I love when a song resonates well with the content of a movie.  In this case it is Across the Universe, by Fiona Apple.  (A remake of a classic Beatles tune.)  At the beginning of the video you can see the brief flash of color on the window before it is shattered by all that oppose change.  You can see the anger embraced and released by the opposers of change; the destruction caused by the opposition of change.

The line “Nothing’s gonna change my world” feels as right today as it did when the song was originally written in 1968.  For some deeply imbedded psychological reason, many people dislike change.  I think back to images of the American Revolution, to the Inquisition, even back to the time of Jesus.  These periods throughout history and hundreds in between where people have opposed change.  Opposed it, fought it, killed and tortured to prevent it.  Yet change still comes.  Change comes because those who are open to it accept it, believe in it, and stand strong to support it.  Some support change outspoken and public.  Others do it quietly in the relative safety of their homes, gently keeping the flame alive while the outside world ever so slowly becomes accustomed to the differences.

Change is inevitable

It seems as though change is inevitable.  We humans seem incapable of remaining the same even when we fight so hard to do so.  We can look to the great triumphs of history and culture.  Great civilizations that flourished for hundreds of years.  Yet today, they are no longer in existence.  Even the great civilizations of the past crumbled to change.  Civilizations like ancient Greece where philosophers were free to think and people were free to try new things.  Like ancient Rome where science and technology flourished.  I wonder if the willingness to change that created these civilizations faded and ultimately morphed into a resistance to change, with this resistance to change finally destroying all the wonder that change had brought.

Where do we go from here?

Change is uncomfortable.  We all know this to be fact.  Yet it also seems that resistance to change can be equally uncomfortable in the long term.  That comfort zone that exists inside the bubble of “no change” can only stay in existence for a short time.  Soon that bubble will pop and the change will be forced upon you.  Our world is changing more rapidly than ever before.  I feel much better being open to change and the possibilities that come with it.  I don’t always accept change, but I try to analyze it with an open mind.  Look at it from all perspectives rather than from my own limited background and beliefs.

In our changing world of today, I wonder who will win.  In Pleasantville, the townspeople slowly accepted color and let the wonderful experience into their world.  They eventually opened their eyes, their hearts, and their mind to new possibilities.  The entire town was better for it.  Improvements in every facet of life, originally envisioned by a single individual.  One single person to create change in the entire town.  Any one of us has this same power in the real world.  Any one of us can elicit change; can model the world of our future; can mold the ideas of tomorrow.  To do so simply takes an open mind and a willingness to share your ideas.  Are you ready to shape your future?  Are you ready to accept change openly?  Can you open your mind to the ideas and dreams that constantly stream into our consciousness?

Embrace the Change – Subscribe Today

Most of my readers are open minded individuals and aren’t afraid of change.  I encourage you to join them and subscribe to Eden Journal.   You can subscribe for free by email or RSS feed, or you can get it delivered directly to your Kindle. for just 99 cents per month.

Please Support Me – Tell People about Eden Journal

If you like this article, please Tweet it, email it to a friend, or post it to Facebook.  You could also Digg it, bookmark it on Del.icio.us, or rank it on Stumbleupon I sincerely appreciate your support of Eden Journal.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Tagged as: Emotions, History, Open Mind, Philosophy