Resistance is not an obstacle to transformation — it is part of the transformational process itself. Joe gets excited when someone he’s working with becomes resistant, because it means they’re on the right path. “If you watch a cell divide, there’s resistance there. If you watch a tree slowly over time, their limbs will move to find light — there’s resistance in that. If I took all the resistance or all the tension out of your body, it would die.”
This reframes resistance from something to eliminate into something to recognize as a sign of growth. Evolution requires tension. There is no life without resistance. Wanting no resistance is wanting death. The question is never “how do I get rid of it?” but “how do I be with the relationship I’m in with it right now?”
David White’s essay on denial captures this beautifully: “To deny denial is to invite powers into our lives we have not yet readied ourselves to meet.” The resistance knows something about your readiness that your ambition doesn’t.
Related Concepts
- Loving resistance is the path through it
- Chaos is necessary for growth
- Denial has a functional purpose
- Resisting fear doesn’t eliminate it — it leaks out sideways