One cannot escape change, because change is inevitable. As I think back on who I was 1, 5, 16 years ago, I see the constant growth and transformations I have gone through. Right now, right this second, I am not the the two year old being spoiled by her grandparents, or the six year old wearing sun dresses, or the 10 year old picking forbidden flowers to gain her mother's love, or the 14 year old outcast, or even the 16 year old I was a month ago. My identity, my body, my life is ever changing. In the words of Heraclitus, "Everything is in constant flux." And it is.It is said that the human body rebuilds itself every 7 years. Whether 7 years is an exact time, an approximation, or even a completely made up number is irrelevant. It is still fact that certain parts of the body change over time. The outer layer of our skin is changed daily, the water in our bodies is changed approximately every 96 hours, and our tissues alter their structures according to cell production. Even if none of this is true, one still knows that the body grows. Isn't growth still change? If one can prove that the physical aspects of our lives are changing, can the same be concluded about the mental aspects? It can be argued that the mind is the only thing that truly remains the same, or constant. I have read somewhere that the nerve cells in your brain last a lifetime and do not multiply. Does this alone disprove my whole argument?
The mind transcends the brain and does not limit itself the way the brain does. I believe that the mind grows the same way that the body does over time. Not in the literal sense, but through education, knowledge, and experience. As I look back on the years I mentioned earlier, I can say that in each stage of my life, both my body and mind were different. As a two year old, I was thin and small; I only spoke Polish, my mind was not aware of any other languages until more change occurred; and the most important things in my life were ice cream and cartoons. As a 6 year old, I was still thin, but taller; I spoke English, a language that still seemed foreign to my mind; and I'd help my mom take care of my newborn sister, a change in my life that I learned to love. As a 10 year old, I grew wider and taller; I resented the language I was born into as well as the mother I was born from for giving my sister more attention than she gave me. At 14, I began to resent myself. All of these physical and character traits were temporary. If these two elements have changed, what else is there to account for?
Some may disagree, but I believe I am made up of a body and a mind; the two are in constant flux whether or not I want them to be. I will continue to redefine myself until death. Tim O'Brien may believe that there is something else that makes him up, a soul perhaps, that is unchanging, that the essence of "Timmy" still remains, but I beg tot differ. I am no longer who I was in the beginning, and who knows who I'll be in the end.
6 comments:
Do you ever read John Keats? I am thinking about his view on life changing. "Ode to a Grecian Urn" comes to mind.
http://www.bartleby.com/126/41.html
I smile and wish this old body would rebuild in 7 years. :) It may be changing, but I sure don't see it rebuilding. Actually that is not quite true. If I cut myself, the wound does heal. That is a form of regeneration. But when I try losing weight, sure the fat disappears, but the skin sags. It does not regenerate. :) But, yes, the body still changes, as you note.
Perhaps it is that change is the only constant. We may not like the change, and may wish it would not happen. Shakespeare reminds us that our lives are ever changing as we move from birth to death.
http://www.artofeurope.com/shakespeare/sha9.htm
Are there parts of us, in that mysterious inner being, that never change?
As I read, "As a two year old, I was thin and small; I only spoke Polish," I am reminded of my childhood. We lived with my Polish grandparents when I was beginning to talk. I spent lots of time with my grandfather who spoke little English. He taught me the cyrillic alphabet. I spoke Polish before I learned English. When my parents and I move away, I did not have anyone to speak Polish with and thus forgot it all. I always have been sad that I did not find a way to continue using the language.
Thank you for sharing these details of your life.
First off, let me just say that I love your writing style, it really reflects your personality. Now getting back to your post…
I like how you talk about how the human body changes constantly, without us even realizing or caring. This seems to reflect the changes that we go through as people which half the time we do not notice. I also like how you mention that the brain is not supposed to grow (in the sense of becoming larger) once we are born, yet we continue to learn. While our brains are not physically growing, they are growing in mental capacity. In a way, this could be representative of when people believe they are in a ‘growing standstill’, meaning they have become comfortable with who they are and have not come to a time in their lives where they must change or feel the need to change, they are still compiling knowledge and growing in that respect.
Not to be a pain, but in your post you only talk about how different you are from the little girl you used to be. Do you not see any resemblance between who you are now and who you were then? Not one connecting thread?
theteach: That is one reason I am glad my mother forced me to go to Saturday school to learn how to read, write and practice speaking Polish. I am able to speak it fluently now, and for that I am thankful.
Blogger#1: You are in no way being a pain. To respond to your question, I can truly say that there isn't any characteristic I can think of that has remainedthe same throughout the year. I mean, I was really the polar opposite of who I am now. But maybe it was just because I did not like who I was and put on a fake persona? Or maybe I am living under a mask right now. Maybe O'Brien is right, and under all the change there is still something that I can connect as remaining the same. It's all possible, but through my eyes right now (whether subconsciously cloaked, or not) I see no connection. Except besides the obvious, I am still female, still part of the same family, still alive.
Yes, I too love your writing style as well! You kept me captivated and I loved how you showed the ignorance of human existance regarding change. It is like in Plato, we are the people trapped in the Cave in the matrix. We have the "wool" so to speak covered over our eyes. We are very ignorant as a population. You would probably like Plato's Allegory of The Cave. You should read it, because it shows similar aspects to your writing! Great Job! Kabunky
I've read the The Allegory of the Cave, I thought it to be interesting. (I'm in Ripley's 2nd period Philosophy class)
I hope you continue to find ways to use the Polish language so that you do not forget.
I often think that our Secretary of State should speak several languages. I have wondered if Rice speaking Russian has helped her in working with Putin.
Post a Comment