ESL 5300: Reflection 4 (Last one!)

“Language is language because it is alive and always changing.”

This comment about living languages held profound meaning for me on a few levels. My papa always has said that “the only thing constant in life is change.” Recently, in the last year of turbulent life-changes for him and me—some shared, and some unique to our personal experiences—he has added further observation:

“The thing most constant in life is change.
Those who fear change live in constant fear.
Those who resist change resist reality.
Those who embrace change embrace the rhythm of life.
Those who refuse to accept change are out of harmony with the rhythm of life.
Those out of harmony with the rhythm of life experience distress and grief.
Those who harmonize with change learn wisdom, conquer fear, and abandon grief.
Those who live in harmony with the rhythm of life find serenity and peace of mind.”

One woman in class expressed her discomfort with all the discussion and debate happening, saying, “I want to know [the answer]. I’m a black and white sort of person.” If there is anything I’m learning as I grow older, is that there are no absolutes (other than in my personal beliefs about God), and adults do not have a corner on knowledge, as a child may perceive. I am growing to accept that I can state something, and after further study, be able to change it later, and I feel like I allow that right to others—even those who are published. I have appreciated the ideas and differences shared in our class, and the instructor’s difficultly-posed questions. I value the intellectual stretching of challenged opinions, particularly when expressed respectfully to those with whom they are in disagreeance.

One of my favorite professors abides by the maxim, “Comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable.” At one point or another in our lives we will have the opportunity to be both. I am grateful for opinions different from my own that cause me to reflect on what I think and why. I am very grateful for change. For growth. For the receiving of further light and knowledge that comes through enlightened people in every facet of life. How dull life would be without it!