Fear of Hope

Metathesiophobia is the clinical name invented for an irrational fear of change. In the extreme, a metathesiophibiacs experience trembling, cold sweats, nausea and even fainting when threatened with the possibility of change. That's rare, of course. I've never known anyone like that.

Far more ubiquitous is complacency ... the reality that people, indivdually and corporately, are inclined to maintain the status quo until a crisis forces change. For the seriously neurotic or addicted person, the consequences can be dire, as they are swept into a downward spiral that eventually ends in ruin or death. But for the average person, complacency merely stifles growth and retards development. They wind up stuck in their rut, as it were, passivly consigning themselves to life as they know it forever, dismissing possibilities and whatever personal potential they might have.

I have known lots of people like this. So have you. Perhaps you are one of them?

The Perils of "Rutophilia"

There's something to be said for constancy, of course. To be steadfact in purpose, love, loyalty or faithfulness is an important tool for anyone wishing to be successful in life. Impulsive change for the sake of change is apt to prove wastefully nonsensical. Learned skills and behaviors that are appropriate for persons and their situations have value which should not be dismissed on whims.

A fixed mode of life which is dull and unpromising is not steadfastness and has no value. It's a rut.

The narrower the thinking, the deeper the rut. The mind does not like ruts. As ruts deepen they limit peripheral awaremess, and possibilities pass by unnoticed. Lacking possibilities, feelings of futility eventually engender a reluctance to think about change. From within the depths of a rut, what the mind sees in the narrow view forward is nothing but more of the same. Minds become fearful of hope, because hope risks further disappointment, disenchantment and defeat.

The fear of hope deprives the mind of opportunities to do its thing, which leads to discouragement, depression, dementia, and ultimately death.

The Natural State of Mind

Minds are inquisitive and thrive on problem-solving. Minds love novelty and challenges. Minds need something positive to look forward to. Minds thrive on hope.

Should we wonder why adults worship youth? We're apt to attribute that to youth's energy, physical beauty, and budding sexuality, but it's not those things that the mind is fondly revisiting in its philoprogenic moments. Those things are not important to us in our youth; they're taken for granted and unappreciated. They're wasted on the young. They burn no indelible impressions in our minds.

In our youth, "our hearts were young and gay" ... our minds were free, and even encouraged to be inquisitive, to learn and to grow, to seek novelty, to imagine, and to believe in hope. In other words, our minds were free to play in their natural state. Our minds do not forget. In our adult years our tired and

The secret of health, happiness, and success in life is continuing personal growth.

disappointed minds therefore often yearn for those idyllic days of yore.

The secret of health, happiness, and success in life is continuing personal growth. Whether your purpose is pragmatic or romatic ... career development, or a love of all the wonderful things life has to offer ... growth is about letting your mind do what it loves to do ... to explore, to learn and to change. Learning and change inevitably suggest new possibilities, which is the essence of hopefulness and a satisfied mind.

In Search of the Good Life

Everyone wants the good life ... health, happiness, and success ... but few ever achieve it until late in life, if at all.

So what's up with that?

The answer is simple. Many people think (if indeed they think about it at all) that the good life comes naturally, or not ... that it's a matter of genetics, karma, or personality. Others feel that it's a matter of entitlement; that if they're not enjoying the good life, its because they're being wrongfully deprived.

Few ever learn the secret of health, happiness and success. It's not about happenstance, it's not about entitlement, and it's not difficult to achieve. It comes easily, but you have to make an effort. You begin by realizing that life is

Life's journey is full of rewards for the person who looks expectantly ahead with a hopeful heart.

a journey of exploration that begins when you're pooped out of the womb, and ends when you're popped into the grave. Along the way as you go merrily rejoicing between these two events, beautiful and intriguing discoveries await you ... surprises and adventures that are infinite in number and variety. Life's journey is full of rewards for the person who looks expectantly ahead with a hopeful heart. You need only walk along life's pathway with an inquisitive mind; one that is open to new ideas and eager to embrace new opportunities.

Whatever your age or position in life, be your mind's friend. Let your mind be itself, and go along hand-in-hand to the places it'll take you. Then you will most certainly be blessed with the good life ... forever.