"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave
behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."
- Anatole France
I feel it's important to dissolve my own self to create a new Me. Change is a strange
thing. I fear most the external responses that change brings. Change makes me disconnect
with an identity that I created for myself. A set of opinions, beliefs and a lifestyle
that I adhered to and promoted. But change destroys my past. And with it, change
also creates an environment of discord between the new Me and the external world.
The external world responds to Me in two ways : One is with a need to suck me back
into my previous life and the other is with a sense of hostility. Both these responses
are justified.
Sample this (Ficiton): I am a regular smoker. It's a lifestyle that I adhere to
and promote out of my own choice. But a concern for health (read : change) persuades
me to quit smoking. I do that. And with it I quit an identity (that of a smoker,
recklessness maybe) and an environment (a group of smoking buddies etc.) that I
myself had created. So, I not only have to make the internal adjustment of a cigarette-free
life but must also accommodate the external responses (the one-drag temptation or
the wrath of friends) to this change.
I think a big reason why people resist change, myself very much included, is because
of this external reason. But I believe that if you are able to communicate this
need to change with utmost earnestness, people around you will be willing to support
your decision. And this encouragement is important.
So, the next time you decide to quit smoking, remember you're changing not only
your own self but also your social self. Think about it!
As within, so without.