“The only certainty is that nothing is certain.” “Change is the only constant in life.” Both of these quotes from ancient philosophers (Pliny the Elder and Heraclitus respectively) express a basic, if mature, understanding of the reality of human life. Due to circumstances beyond our control, and a mind (or soul, depending on what you believe) that is capable of about-faces, humans will rarely have a static existence. Whether this is good or bad is subjective, but it is undeniable that change is an unstoppable force in the world we live in. Given how important change is to a human person, I want to examine how this can be both positive and negative, and then take a look at the best way to handle change of any kind.

How Change can be Positive:

First, look at some examples of changes that are good. Some kinds of change are only good: a raise at work, for example. The thing is, there is very little change that occurs that is only good. The balance might be net positive, but there is often a factor of negativity that contributes to the positive change. A dead relative leaving you a substantial sum of money is a good illustration. You might get a windfall you were not expecting, and your quality of life might increase in a real way, but someone had to die for you to get it. It does not matter how well you knew the relative in question: their death contributed to your new success, but depending on the relative, this could easily be considered a good change. If a man who beats his wife and makes his money unethically does a mental-180, becomes a devout Christian, and exemplifies the best that that religion has to offer, most people would say that that change is a net positive.

It goes the other way too, though. Sometimes, seemingly negative change can have an ultimately good effect. An underprivileged youth leaves his friends when his family moves from Section 8 housing to a better neighborhood, and he might be upset for a while, but in the long run, he will be much better off for the change. A college girl finally finds the courage to break off her relationship with an abusive boyfriend, and it hurts for a few weeks, but the ultimate result is the possibility of a stable and upbuilding relationship, and an escape from abuse.

How Change can be Negative:

Of course, just as change can be net positive, so change can also be net negative, so here are some examples of negative change. The anonymous girl from the Brock Turner rape case has had her life changed, and there is very little to be positive about in that entire situation. The small positive (the light that the case has shown on the myriad of problems that our society has when it comes to rape) in no way comes close to balancing the weight of a young girl’s rape, and real change has yet to come of it, if it comes at all. A young black man shot down by police officers is a tragedy, as is the senseless shooting of officers, and the lives of all involved have been changed, none for the better (see footnote). Most people when they fear change fear this negative kind of change, and the insecurity/instability that it brings.

For those of you starting college or moving away to new jobs, you will be in a new place with few to no friends, with new amounts of freedom, and (unless I am mistaken) just a bit of homesickness that will make you want your old life back. For many people of college age, this is most drastic change they have yet to deal with, and if they handle it badly, or circumstances conspire, the results can be downright devastating. We all (probably) know that one person in college who just cannot seem to get a break, and anytime they get ahead, life decides to take a crap on them, in forms like divorces, breakups, injuries, and worse. These are all examples of negative changes, and I imagine that those reading this can think of more in their own lives. No one is immune from negative change; that’s how the world works.

A small aside: the whole world changed when Dr. Oppenheimer built a nuclear bomb but are we more or less safe than before? A new President is elected: will the USA be better or worse off? For changes like these, the answer depends on who you ask. A veteran of World War II might say that we are absolutely better off with the dawn of the nuclear age, while a Conscientious Objector from the Vietnam era might wish that the bomb had never been made. A rabid Right-Wing nutjob will rail against a new president from the opposite party, and Leftist extremist will do the exact same thing. Either way it is a change, and we will all have to live with it no matter which party lines we choose to draw, or on which hills we choose to die.

Dealing with Change

In every case above, positive, negative, and neutral, what are the constants? People, and change. That is why this is so important: change is a certainty in human life. No human life is static; no human situation completely stable. It is how we deal with change that matter. The great philosopher and poet Madeline L’Engle said in her "Wind in the Door"that “you’re an earthling, and earthlings excel in adaptability,” and that “a life form which can’t adapt doesn’t last very long.” In those few words, Ms. L’Engle highlights perhaps the best thing about humanity: our ability to respond to change. What other animal on earth exists in more geographic areas? What other creature can live in both the Artic and the Sahara, and everywhere in between? Humans are built and wired for change: we are tough! And that toughness extends beyond environmental change, and on to circumstantial change as well. I described the two philosophers from the beginning as having a basic, but mature outlook, and that is true. It takes a certain amount of maturity to recognize and adapt to change, making the best of every situation no matter how bad, and finding the positives among the negative. An adaptive, reactive, response to change and circumstances is not easy to cultivate, and requires both effort and a certain high-mindedness about your own position, but once gained it is hard to lose.

I am far from the only person to say this: the great general and writer Sun Tzu said in his "Art of War"that “Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.” Change is unchanging: it will always happen. There are no constant conditions. The best way to deal with change of any kind is to be the water that Sun Tzu spoke of, and shape your course to the conditions. Take whatever positivity you can out of your circumstances, be that as small as a personal lesson or as large as a blow to an established idea. Martial artist and actor Bruce Lee knew his Sun Tzu, and said of fighting: “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” Few people can force their circumstances to be the way they want, and often it is a very hard road with many setbacks and sorrows, and even when they get to where they want to be, they do not rest in their ideal situation: again, change is constant, and everything will change eventually. Far better to be water, as Bruce Lee and Sun Tzu said, and take the shape of your circumstances so as to defeat them. If your circumstances are good, make plans so that you are ready for when that changes. And if your circumstances are bad? Drip and crash your way to something better, and know that things will not be that way forever. They literally cannot be.

Footnote: I am in no way trying to trivialize rape or murder, or make a comparison of situations like those to the challenge of a new workplace or school. I have absolutely no personal experience dealing with either travesty; I am merely pointing them out as extreme examples of the types of changes that can happen and turn the entire world upside down for the people involved. Statistically speaking, most readers will never have to deal with circumstances as bad as the ones described, and this article is geared more towards them. If you know people who's lives have been touched by crimes as heinous as rape and murder, have some humility and compassion for their situation, and don't just quote Pliny, Heraclitus, or Lee (if you've read that far) at them.