Verbatim | Mar 09,2019
Jul 13 , 2019
By Tsion Fisseha
The only thing that is consistent in this world is change. This statement is hard to swallow for a lot of people, including me. Change can be a sign of betterment, but regardless of the connotation, it is a terrifying fact for some.
Looking back, I cannot remember the last time I was calm and collected toward changing classes or friends or even the usual café that my friends and I go to. The hardest change to date would have to be puberty, which forced my body to change in all sorts of ways. I started sweating, and acne became decoration. I started getting used to a monthly visitor who was not as friendly as expected. And I had to accept these changes no matter how uncomfortable they made me.
Depending on the perception one has toward change, following through with the change that has been made becomes a somewhat difficult task. It can somehow become tedious to think about the adjustments that need to be done like waking up early in the morning in order to own the day or going to bed early with hopes to create a healthy sleeping routine.
Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher and writer, describes change as such: “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Do not resist them, that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
Be it the loss of a loved one, moving to a completely foreign land or even the tiny reforms that happen in the workplace need a certain amount of getting used to, and this can mentally seem painful.
Resistance is the most common reaction toward this fear of the unknown, commonly known as change. One can say that this reaction has been noticed in Ethiopia ever since the Prime Minister took power. I still remember my resistance toward econometrics and protractors.
The fact, however, still stands that change is inevitable if not necessary. Regardless of the entity, the condition and reaction, in the words of Sam cook, “change is going to come.”
Being prepared to adjust to the changes that will inevitably come one’s way helps one take responsibility for the outcomes of life instead of blaming the rain or the traffic or the Prime Minister. There is, of course, always an exception to the rule, such as death or accidents or the like.
Even more terrifying than the physical change is change or transformation that is happening within a person. As a human being, through time, we start developing personalities and qualities that are both good and bad. And since these things have been nurtured and fed our entire lives, changing the flaws one has can be one of the most challenging acts.
That is why a person who has lived as a cynic for a long time struggles to become a believer of any sort. Of course, changing from a pessimist to an optimist is not always easy for everyone. According to a study done in 2013, scientists found that some people are genetically predisposed to negative thoughts; which is to say that regardless of the situation, these people cannot help but see adverse outcomes.
These people are again the exception to the rule. Because the rule says, change is constant.
So, how does one cope with change? Well, these are things that helped me a little. The first and the obvious step is believing that regardless of the acceptance of change, the fact remains that there is always change.
Although challenging, asking for help is also a reliable way to go through change.
The pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “Life involves peaks, troughs, swirls and pits. These peaks and troughs create movement and change. The swirls and the pits require alteration of the mind and the thought. The faster one accepts its inevitability, the sooner one can move on to bigger and better things.”
PUBLISHED ON
Jul 13,2019 [ VOL
20 , NO
1002]
Verbatim | Mar 09,2019
Viewpoints | Jan 22,2022
Radar | Sep 02,2023
Radar | Jul 13,2020
Viewpoints | Jul 10,2020
Commentaries | Oct 24,2020
Viewpoints | Mar 14,2020
Fortune News | Mar 05,2022
Commentaries | Jun 22,2019
Photo Gallery | 83144 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 75304 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fineline | 58775 Views | Oct 03,2020
Fortune News | 58527 Views | Jul 18,2020
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
Dec 2 , 2023
The symphony of traffic noise in Addis Abeba is not just a sign of life, but a siren...
Nov 25 , 2023
Ethiopia's quest to develop a functioning capital market is a demanding yet not unach...
Nov 18 , 2023
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) has made a fervent call for landlocked Ethiopia to ga...
Nov 11 , 2023
In November last year, a ray of hope pierced the gloomy skies of Ethiopia as the Pret...
Dec 2 , 2023 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
Mamo Mihretu, the governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), has outlined a com...
Dec 2 , 2023 . By AKSAH ITALO
BGI Ethiopia, one of the largest brewing companies, is in the throes of a major trans...
Minister of Agriculture, Girma Amentie (PhD), is leading a charge to overhaul the fer...
Dec 2 , 2023 . By AKSAH ITALO
Amidst accession to a cross-regional trade, one of the oldest industries is strugglin...
Loading your updates...