I know this much is true?

This guest topic from ML C is a cleverly disguised college writing assignment. This comes as zero surprise considering ML C is a college teacher who hands out writing assignments willy-nilly while simultaneously engrossed in deciphering Shakespeare’s text because it’s fun. Yeah. I know the BEST people.

From ML C.: “The assumption buster: look at something people often ASSUME to be true, show the assumption in action (so it’s not a disembodied, unproven “accusation”of sorts), and then bust it.”

Here goes…

Parte the First: Look at something people often ASSUME to be true.

Assumption: Change is the only constant.

Parte the Second: Show the assumption in action.

In Action:  The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives on an essential level. The effects of quarantine, social distancing, and safer-at-home situations have caused us to reflect on who we are, how we function, and clarify what’s important to us. Our daily lives have evolved. We’ve changed and are continuing to change.

Parte the Third: Bust it.

Oh, I like this Parte. But that’s just my nature – and exactly my point.

The actual quote from Heraclitus is “The only constant in life is change.” He meant that the only thing that humans will always experience in life is being FACED with change. NOT that we WILL change.

Take the same COVID-19 pandemic, quarantine, social distancing, safer-at-home example. We haven’t changed who we basically are. We’ve acclimated and adapted. Now our true natures are re-emerging.

We everyday humans love a crisis. Rarely are the non-Mother Teresa’s amongst us handed such opportunities to rise the the occasion. A crisis can bring out the best in us. Our sense of urgency primes the pump for selfless action.

For awhile. 

We mere mortals can only sustain emotional shock for so long. These heightened emotions and their highly addictive and fickle levels of adrenaline are not sustainable within our brains and physiology. Some of us are so enamored of the feeling though that we’ll create crises. Facebook, anyone?

After awhile, we come back to ourselves, just operating within the new parameters of not being able to hug someone, financial insecurity, and the explosion of Zoom-like virtual communication platforms.

Specific Examples? Okay. Four weeks ago vs today….

Early days, we joyfully discovered we could go for a walk, be safe and see other people live and in person! It was an explosion of camaraderie. We’d Halloooo to neighbors across the street since we were so happy to see a fellow person. The Stay Strong signs and symbols in people’s windows brought smiles and inspiration.

Today’s dog walk… Greetings have reverted to big city eye-avoidance of strangers. The colorful paper hearts in windows still made me smile even though they’ve faded. Chances are, the person who gushed about my cute dog, is someone who would have anyway.

It’s fine, though. More than fine. It’s a stronger basis for moving forward. Which we will do.

Reclaiming our basic individual natures is not a badger bounce back from crisis kindness to crisis uncaring. If you were mean-kind-curmudgeonly-creative-insecure-sarcastic-funny-generous before being forced to try not to die or kill anyone else, you still are. You’re just being more yourself again with gloves, a mask, and hand-sanitizer.

Bonuses!

Bonus the Firste: We have an awesome new topic to argue about.

Bonus the Seconde: If you thrived on creating a crisis before the pandemic, no-one’s going to call you on it for a little while longer.

In Conclusion (even though ML didn’t tell me to sum up, I’m going to do it anyway) ….

Absolute conclusions about all humans across all spectrums are full of shit.

I think that a re-examination of our lives, man-made constructs, and what’s important to us CAN BE life changing. Good Old Heraclitus (go ahead – say his name out loud without giggling) also postulated (another great word to say out loud) that our individual reactions to change range from actively embracing it to actively denying it. 

I know this much is true.

(PS to ML: Heraclitus was from Ephesus. Nothing good ever happens in Ephesus.)

(PPS to Y’all: Nerdy Shakespeare reference.)

 

I’m Susan Scot Fry, the author of “A Year of Significance”. Honest, occasionally humorous and sometimes I swear.