Change is the only constant in life. Agreed. And more often than not, it is good too. Otherwise life would become too boring and monotonous. But what about constant change? Is that good too?
What if your entire life, you have been moving from place to place, never truly understanding the meaning of the word “hometown” or even “home”, for that matter? What if every 2-3 years, you had to move to a new city, a new home, got to a new school, make new friends, only to move to some other place and do it all over again?
You know how we have this habit of asking a new person we are getting introduced to, “Where are you from?” or “Which place do you belong to?”. I never really knew what to answer when faced with this question. Do I name the place from where I have recently moved? But I was only there for two years. Do I name the place where I have stayed for the longest duration? But that was a long time ago. Then, do I name the place where I was born? All these questions are triggered by that ONE question “Where are you from?”
Movement is good. You get to see different places. You are introduced to different societies, different cultures. And in this new barrier-less world, that’s a huge plus. It helps you get acclimatized very easily and also gives you a more cosmopolitan outlook. It also helps you become more social. Lets face it…a human being CANNOT live alone. He wasn’t meant to; so even if you don’t want, sooner or later you’ll have to talk to people (people you might not even like, to start with)for some query or assistance. This is especially the case when you move to a new city. And this single act of reaching out to people makes you more social.
The flip side—you are not attached to your roots. Hell, what roots? You don’t even know where you belong. Does that affect your sense of identity? You don’t get to have childhood buddies or life-long friends, simply because you did not get to grow up with them. You moved and they didn’t. You may make friends everywhere, but to truly nurture a friendship, or any bond, you need time. Long distance relationships can at most be maintained, not built. So, you leave behind unfinished associations, which given time could have developed into something more meaningful. You end up having lots of friends, but not a single “best friend”.
So, coming back to the original question—is it good? I guess the real question here is: Change is good, but how often and for how long?
8 comments:
I dont think I would enjoy a "constant change", but how long is not something which we can question coz, once you fix a duration, then it does not make much sense to call it a change, it think....sorry, If I did not make any sense...but I still mean it:)) A well written article, once again!!
Uma, true, I agree with you. If we could foresee change, it won't really have the same effect, as it does when it hits you suddenly. And that is what change is all about.
in ur case..change wud mean having a greater constancy than has been in ur case...so that way, change wud be good for u !!
Hey Tabs. I totally agree. Nice way to put it. Great observation. Thanks! :)
I face the same problems myself - in terms of having moved about quite a bit. But the whole identity business is a bit of a double-edged sword...ppl who've been in one place too long or who identify too closely with one city (or for that matter religion/ethnicity/etc) can be pretty stuck-up about it, so I dont mind the whole rootlessness bit...a good, thought-provoking blog, btw :)
@Argha: Hmmm...good angle to see it from. No point being stuck up or fixed about anything. And thanks for the comment, dude. :)
Finally i got to read it...well written indeed!! In a way i am thankful for whatever lil changes have happened in my life over the years coz each change helped me grow as an individual!! so yeah there have been dreadful moments but overall the journey has been uplifting!!
Well said Ronald! Well said. we won't be here today, if it were not for the changes that happened in our lives. :)
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