Change - the only constant?

Have you ever woken up one morning, and suddenly realised that you’re no longer the person who you once you used to be?

And when you’ve had your moment of epiphany, you probably find yourself glancing through old photographs, reading your past memoirs, revisiting old Facebook posts and in hindsight, accepting how much you’ve evolved over time, for better or worse.

The process, rather the magic of change is as such. Sometimes you feel it, sometimes, in fact more often than not, you only realise when it has happened. But the lawof the land is such – its inevitable, and its unavoidable. Paradoxical but true, change truly is the only constant. Charles Darwin, in his theory of evolution clearly outlines the fact that the very survival of mankind depends on our responsiveness to change, our adaptability, and our ability to adapt to the circumstances. And it’s not just a question of our willingness to change, rather the agility with which we accustom ourselves to the evolving situation.

In this context, I often wonder what killed the dinosaur. An evolved planet earth, which no longer supported its existence? Or its own inability or unwillingness to adapt to newer, less supportive circumstances?

As we go through life, there are multiple people we meet, situations we encounter, and events we experience. And big or small, these end up rubbing up on us. And we change. Sometimes willingly, sometimes subconscious or even unconsciously.

When change comes along, there’s clearly two ways you can deal with it. Either you accept it or you shun it. From personal experience, I’ve seen that the first step is acknowledging the change, understanding that you have evolved as a person, either in part or in completion. And then if you like, keep the change. If you don’t like it, there’s another thing you can do – change the change itself.

I used to be someone who was content with letting things be just the way they were. I resisted, even occasionally abhorred change. It took a more evolved, mature version of me to understand and appreciate the beauty of change. Change may be cruel, but it’s also beautiful. It may be occasionally tough, but it’s also a test of your self agility and responsiveness. For in the ultimate analysis it matters not how much you changed, but rather how well you adapted to the change.