"Panta Rei"

During our ongoing discussions of the origins of philosophy, we covered the life and beliefs of Heraclitus. One concept I found particularly fascinating was Heraclitus’ idea of radical flux (“Into the same rivers we do and do not step"). Heraclitus' philosophy can be captured in just two words: "panta rei”; everything flows, meaning that everything is constantly changing. Only change itself is real and constant like the continuous flow of a river which always renews itself. Dr. Layne gave us the example of stepping into a spot of the Mississippi River twice. No same step would be the “same” because the river is always flowing, essentially bringing in different waters from the flux. So this got me thinking. If change is inevitable, then why do we ultimately fear it? Change is natural, necessary, and acts as a catalyst for growth. For example, if a baby did not change, it would never go from crawling to walking, an older child would never advance from kindergarten to first grade, etc. The reality is that life is change. Seasons change. Jobs change. Relationships change. People change. So why then do we resist what’s natural? Simply because we hold on to everything close to us and try our best to always keep things the same. We must learn to embrace change.