Letting Go

One of the most interesting things about humankind is how they feel about change. It is the ultimate love-hate relationship. There are so many thoughts and expressions on “change” (which is a pretty vague term to begin with). For example, “the only constant in life is change” and “do not be afraid of change”. Even Obama campaigned on a platform of “change”. So why is it that all of these things have put change in a positive light when everyone, and I have found this to be true for myself as well, has a natural instinct for defense against change? Defense against change makes sense on a natural level; if you are safe, you have food, you have shelter, and comfort, your natural instinct SHOULD be to stay where you are and be wary of change, because you never know what you could lose.
In the book The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian is afraid of change in the form of his beauty. Dorian fears the change that comes with aging. However, because of his fear, Dorian never grows as a person, his morality remains childish and lacking, and he does not become a better person. This book raises the idea of a theme that while human instinct fights change, it is often better to ignore instinct and embrace change, because it allows for personal growth.
Everyone in my grade is facing one of the biggest changes of their life so far-- the end of childhood, and the end of highschool. So, this is a theme I am going to personally try to focus on as my life continues-- letting go of fear of change. While it is natural to want to stay where we are in life, now is one of the most important times in which we remember the growth we will gain through taking risks.