So I’m writing this from a train (which is pretty cool because I’m listening to music and typing away as the locations outside my window change quickly and I feel like a writer in a movie) on my way to Durham. I don’t know if it’s my current location, or the fact that I’m about to spend a week from home in somewhere I’ve never been before with no family, friends, or anyone I know at all, but something really got me thinking about change.
If you had to describe yourself in 3 words what would they be?
Would you have to think about it? Go on some long journey of self discovery? Or would you just know? Theoretically we should all know exactly who we are, considering that, you know, we’re ourselves, but in life it’s never that easy.
When I was younger, I used to really love first days of school. Not because I was a geek (which, I’ll be honest I kind of was but that’s beside the point), I used to love them because each new year felt like a fresh start. I’d be in a new year at school, have different teachers, different books, different folders, a different timetable, I used to feel like with all that change I had the chance to be as different as I wanted to be. However, now, when I look back and think about it I wonder why I needed a new year to feel like I could be whoever I wanted.
It’s a common notion; I mean, with every New Year’s Eve comes the trending #newyearnewme hashtag… We seem to mark the times of the year where it’s acceptable for us to change and be who we want to be. But, when you think about it, we control ourselves. We should be able to be who we want to be whenever we want to. So yeah, this week away gives me a fresh start with new people, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a chance for me to radically change who I am. If I want change, I should be able to whenever I want.
If you’ve ever seen a Romantic Comedy, the odds are that you’ve seen a female protagonist panic and struggle because she doesn’t know who she is, or what her label in high school is. I’m not gonna lie, I love watching RomComs, I could watch them all day, but I would be lying if I said that they didn’t have their flaws in terms of the messages that they give. It’s okay to not know exactly who you are or where you belong. If I had to describe myself in three words I don’t think I’d be able to without some serious thought. I have no idea what clique I’d belong to in a teenage high school movie, to be honest I don’t think I’d be able to label myself with a stereotypical role in any of those movies either. Why? Because we’re always changing, whether it be physically or emotionally.
Aquinas (an old Philospher) argued in his First Way that we are in a constant state of motion, moving from a state of actuality, to potentiality, to actuality etc. It sounds more complicated than it is, but it’s easy to wrap your head around if you think of an example, like a saucepan. When you heat a saucepan, it goes from being potentially hot, to actually being hot, to being potentially cold, to being actually cold. At the moment we’re all who we are, but we have the potential to be a different version of ourselves, if we want to be because we’re constantly changing.
In my room I have a cork board by my desk where I pin photos, reminders and cute postcards and things I like. My favourite thing on my corkboard at the moment is a postcard that I found when I was out shopping in Lomdon with my friends one time. It says: Some want it to happen, others wish it would happen, and some go out and make it happen. Whatever we do, we should always strive to be those who go out and make things happen. At the end of the day, if you want better for yourself, or you want to be known/noticed for something, you’re the only one that can make it happen. Regardless of the time of year, or your circumstances, there’s always time for change.
Read, comment, and don’t take anything personally. Remember, we’re all still forming opinions. Byeeeee!
Still Forming Opinions... 