The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus suggested that “in changing we find purpose.” That is to say that the first step involves the willingness and the desire to make a change. Then, in the process of altering the course of life, the genuine purpose of the change becomes more evident. Yesterday was an important day, as the desire of a majority of people in the United States to make a change became clear. The election of the new president marks both a symbolic and a literal change. Electing a woman of color to be vice president is a historic change. And having the highest vote count of all time indicates a change at the level of public engagement precisely at a time of great public danger. 

The election has been decided and a shift in the course of life becomes more possible, even if the outgoing president persists in denying reality and threatening the process. Change is underway, even as the country remains largely divided and the challenges appear enormous in size and complex in nature. The issue becomes change in what way, to what aim, for what purpose? At such a critical time for life on earth, the point cannot simply be a shift from one form of politics to another. The kind of change being called for at this time is a genuine transformation, a true change in the form and the shape and the imagination of life on earth.

The old Greek word for a thorough and purposeful change in life was metanoia. More than a change of attitude or shift in politics an experience of metanoia calls for an about-face or complete change in the direction of life. Meta means “beyond” as in metamorphosis or metaphysical and that seems to be the level of transformation of human life required by the crisis of radical climate change.

The term noia carries the sense of a “true understanding,” thus a change that moves us beyond our current understanding of both ourselves and the world in which we live. Metanoia involves a genuine awakening, not just a change of mind; but also a change of heart that leads to a greater understanding of life and the role of humanity.

Human nature is secretly connected to great Nature which is the source of constant transformation in life. The human soul is capable of such a radical sense of change that we can reach a place of understanding that had previously been beyond our comprehension. Such a transformation involves a thorough change of mind, but it also moves the heart. A genuine change moves the mind closer to the heart, just as it moves people closer to each other and brings human culture closer to the heart of nature. That is the hidden aim and true purpose of the great crises in life. Because all things are ultimately interconnected, the challenges we face and the changes underway signal a genuine transformation of the world.

This ancient sense of transformation assumes that there is something essential within us that we can turn to and learn from; that we can draw upon repeatedly and grow from continuously. Although in this moment the need for change is presented in political terms, something deep in the human soul is trying to awaken and become more conscious. 

Besides involving a change in consciousness, such a deep inner change also includes a process of healing. To heal something means “to make it whole” even if it is just for a moment. In times of great crisis there can be moments of wholeness that remind us of the underlying unity of life.

As the counting of votes and the accounting for all that happened on the way to a change in the country comes to a close, it is important to remember that the great moments in life challenge all aspects of society and all levels of human awareness. We have entered such an extended moment of radical change, one that is life-defining as well as life-changing. 

Because such moments of healing and of genuine transformation have a timeless quality, when it comes to waking up and turning things around, it is never too late. And ancient wisdom tells us that in times of great uncertainty a small change can lead to a greater transformation.