change

I think I've figured it out. What's it, you ask? Change. People fear it, create it, adapt to it, and ironically enough, need it. Take for example a slow day. When nothing's happening, we come down with this awfully dreadful condition we call boredom. Really, this is just our way of saying "change something" to the world around us. Or how about fearing change? We've just established that it's something we need, so why do we often fear it so much? Well, studies will tell you that humans (like most other creatures) are creatures of habit—meaning that an astronomical percentage of what we do is done simply because we've done it before. This experienced feeling we have from repeating actions which have worked well for us in the past gives a sense of belonging. Belonging gives humans purpose. As I'm beginning to understand, the ability to change one's self is the most amazing way in which humans use change. We adapt. I just learned today that Eskimos who eat raw fish almost always end up developing parasitic stomach worms. Like me, you might grimmace at that and say "fix that," but just wait. Studies have been done showing that, while simply cooking the fish (as if it's really simple that far north) would keep the worms from showing up, it would also remove certain nutrients from the Eskimo diet that helps their immune systems handle the worms. These people have adapted to their environment, and without even trying. The next level of this type of change is seen when it becomes voluntary. By taking control of one's life, he/she can become increasingly stable in increasingly unstable conditions. In certain religions, people who meditate for extended periods of time have learned through conscious practice how to lower their heart rate and need for oxygen to a point where they can be buried alive for several hours, be dug up, and remain in perfectly good health. If these people can discipline themselves into a state that defies even death, who's to say that much of anything is beyond reach?
For the last several months I've been reading up on what makes a person wise. The best answer I've come up with for attempting to summarize this virtue is "the ability to understand and adapt to change." There, now practice changing.