Consistency

Seeds IX, 25

Seed: Consistency

Oh, do we like consistency. We do! We like to know that life is the way we think it is. That things are the way we think they are. It makes us feel as though life is predictable ergo safe—and it’s not how life works at all, ever.

The OED says that consistency means to place oneself and stand still. “I’m a Democrat. My parents were Democrats. Our whole family will always be Democrats.” Not a lot of room for change or growth there! Or, how about this one? “We’re Baptists, seven generations back.” Fill in the blank with your own forevers and alwayses. “Jews, redheads, Irish.” It doesn’t matter. A devotion to consistency can mean we’re resistant to change.

I love what Ralph Waldo Emerson says about consistency:

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”

We don’t often hear the second part of the quote,

“adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”

It’s from his essay called “Self-Reliance.”

Note, dear one, Emerson’s adjective: foolish. Consistency all by itself isn’t a bad thing. It’s good to put your keys in the same place every night when you come home. It guarantees they’ll be there in the morning. It’s the foolish consistency, which keeps us where we are when we need to change—that’s the bugaboo.

Is there some foolish consistency operating in your life right now? That’s okay. Go ahead, change it!


Be serene,

Dr. Susan Corso

Seeds are remarkable gifts. Sown in consciousness, they bring you to the most important part of your being—your Divine Spark.

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