The More Things Change
Last week’s blog post discussed the cliché “some things never change”. This post will examine another, similar cliché: The more things change the more they stay the same.
I’m sure you’ve heard that saying numerous times in your life and I’m guessing you’ve even said it more than once.
But is it true?
In the post about things never changing I told how I had looked through hundreds of photographs trying to find one that would fit the theme. I soon discovered that every image showcased items that did indeed change over time.
What about this week’s cliché? True or false or a bit of both?
Once again I thought about nature in relation to this saying. Being raised where there were four distinct seasons in a year taught me about the fact that life includes change but it also taught me that life has a rhythm.
Deciduous plants are a perfect example. They change. Their green leaves turn a different color, red, orange or brown, they fall to the ground and decay. What we see for months is a tree with bare branches. But as the season changes new bright green leaves emerge on those branches until the next fall season when they start their change of color once again.
There’s a drastic difference between a fully leafed out tree in summer and a bare branched one in winter. “The more things change…”
The seasons do bring change to the tree but those seasons also bring the tree back to the same appearance as each season rotates in a year’s time. “…the more they stay the same”.
What about ocean waves? Do they change? Do they stay the same even after drastic changes?
Yes, ocean waves can change from small ripples during calm weather to ferocious monsters destroying everything they crash against. But they have a rhythm. Each follows the one before in a deliberate, timed sequence. They change but their rhythm stays the same.
Another example is ocean tides. The tides’ heights will change but those tides will rise and fall with a rhythm synchronized with moon phases, just as those tree leaves change with a rhythm tied to the changing seasons.
After thinking about this cliché as it pertains to nature one must reasonably come to the conclusion that this cliché may actually be a true statement the majority of time, at least where our natural world is concerned.
The next logical question is what about people? Do they change? Are they basically the same, though, as they change?
Please share your thoughts as to how this cliché relates to human beings. Do you think that people are the same even after drastic changes that could include developing different habits or perspectives on life? Write those thoughts and beliefs in the comment section.
Click here to view a larger image of today’s featured image and access my art site.
