CONVERSION IS REVOLUTION!

Sometimes we believe that for us, things cannot really change. Conversion is an interior revolution.

Anything less radical simply misses most of the meaning of that word. Revolution is not evolution. Itsn't a smooth transition or a peaceful, gradual, non painful, non upsetting thing.

It's an upheaval, a radical overturning. It arises precisely when people have despaired of gradual change.

Revolution becomes necessary only when the old order is hopelessly stagnant, when there is no longer any hope that peaceful, non-violent, gradual change can bring about improvements of any significance.

That is why virtually every political-social revolution in history has been followed by a blood bath.

All that is dissident is systematically eliminated. Why? Because the new guard knows that, unless this is done, it will forever live under the danger that the old guard will rise up and recapture the new.

The old guards must be killed off. As scripture puts it: "You cannot put new wine into old wineskins!"

Conversion to be effective, must be radical. It must be revolution! Aristotle said "Habits become one's second nature..."

Bad habits do become our second nature. We must all make an effort to break off these but often we find ourselves helpless. Year after year, we make resolutions we never accomplish, we break them.

What can we learn from that? Because we have been associating resolutions with something gradual, that doesn't hurt too much and doesn't disrupt our lives too much. This goes on and on and on for years.

We must accept that revolution and certain violence are necessary. Radically shake up our lives.

But most of us don't love the subversive. We try instead, year after year after year to change ourselves through good resolutions, through means that will not be dramatic, painful or disruptive.

That is why we fail and stay ever the same: mediocre, frustrated, and unable to break out of bad habits that have dominated our lives.

We allow bad habits and mediocrity to keep the upper hand. Genuine conversion and real change will come when we have the nerve to risk dramatic upheaval.