Based on my own experiences in radically new environments, one learns as much in the first three days compared to the three weeks, three month and three years that follow.

I just arrived in Borneo, East Malaysia, after leaving Houston, TX.  It’s my sixteenth move or so since leaving my hometown. What happens to our mind when we move to a different, unknown place?

Well, in most cases, we have to drop our mental habits and need to be radically open. If not, disaster won’t be far. Last week I got a company car, and learnt again to drive on the left side, and handle shift gears with my left hand. Then I followed some ideas in my head and I found myself on the wrong side of the road…

Over the years I have examined my own behavior and openness. And here is my finding: our mind, speaking in general terms, is a lazy animal that feels comfortably trotting along well-explored avenues. New situations create ample stress, and we can afford only so much stress as we adapt to change.

So, what does the rule of three mean? In a radically fresh situation we absorb and learn as much in the first three days as in the three weeks, in the three months or three years that follow thereafter. Adaptation is mostly completed after three years in a new location. By that time we may feel wonderfully comfortable in our new home, but then the clock starts to run away… until we or others decide, that it is time to move on again. The early days in a new place offer tremendous possibilities. We are completely open, vulnerable and fully aware. That’s when we shed old skin, and become a new person.

© 2004 by Franz L. Kessler