Spirituality · Foundations
The whitewash
Why change looks worse before it looks better.
In class we were given a homely picture: whitewashing a wall.
When you whitewash, the room looks worse first. There is mess everywhere, the old surface is covered in patches, and it looks as if you have ruined it. Only after it dries do you see that the room is cleaner and more beautiful than before.
The point of the picture is that any real change in ourselves, such as a habit of reacting or a way of speaking, can look and feel untidy for a while. The mess is not a sign that we are going the wrong way. It is worth keeping the picture in mind for the days when it looks as though nothing is working.
— Ravi