stepping out of self-deception

a quick read about the dangers of the desire to change:
"I teach a number of beginning meditation classes, and when i start each series by asking people about their expectations, inevitably they mention their desire to change. Their motivation comes from the hope of being altered in some way, and their receptivity is narrowed to the language of self-modification. They are usually pragmatic and willing to expend energy for a qualified period of time if the hardship of practicing translates into change.
embedded in our psyche is the concept of change, a sense of growing toward something. We believe in time and we use time to achieve our goals. Evolution provides a sense of meaning, purpose, and direction. It motivates us to see ourselves evolving over time, and it gives us hope and determination that a better life, or at least a better "me" within life, is possible.
The language of change also fits the Dharma's emphasis on impermanence. The teaching of annica, or the transitory quality of all things, is central to the whole of Buddhism. it states that all phenomenon, both mental and physical, are in a constant state of flux. When we incorporate that view into our spiritual practice, we begin to believe that we should be changing right along with the rest of the phenomenal world, and this satisfies the desire to navigate around our problems without having to understand them.
It is true that everything about us is changing, everything except our view that life is always changing. this fixed view looks out upon the field of change and says, "Yes, I am evolving, becoming more patient, steady, and centered. Yes, it is working." The view paradoxically reinforces the sense-of-self that loves to perceive change but refuses to abide within it. everything is changing in body and mind except the "I' that perceives that fact, because the sense-of-I is a conceptual idea and concepts do not change. The self maintains its secure footing by observing change from afar and reflecting upon it. Abiding within change is a threat to its continuity, so "I" keep change at bay by holding a view about it.
"Stepping Out Of Self Deception" by Rodney Smith. Ch. 8- Language entrapping view- pg. 111-112.