How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?
The passage explores how significant life events and the passage of time shape perspectives on life. It reflects on a fort’s history, symbolizing human evolution influenced by time and environment. Change, a constant in the universe, impacts all living and non-living things, driving societal progression and individual development. Technological advancement reshapes perceptions, eliciting both enthusiasm and fear among people. Despite challenges, adaptation is crucial for survival. The text emphasizes that change is an intrinsic part of life, providing lessons in survival and progress.
While entering a fort, his mind was stormed with gushing thoughts. The fortress was situated at the pinnacle of a hillock, surrounded all around by a deep and wide trench which, it was told, would fill with water and ferocious animals. The precipitous hill, wide trench, straight stone walls with concealed cannon points, and everything needed to fortify it made the fort a formidable and impregnable bastion. Despite its impermeable nature, it had been occupied by different rulers. Every nook and corner of the fort was telling a history.
Visiting places like the one described above takes us back in time, narrating the stories of valour, intrepidity, courage, faithfulness, treachery, and deceit. The edifice, which now looks calm and composed, has seen many gory wars, backstabbing and also about the valourousness of those who died defending it. Standing at the ramparts of the fort he was visualizing the time when this regalia used to be the seat of power, glamour and royalty. With time, it has become merely a mute spectator of the past, which cast significant light on its history.
Time changes and so do things. It is an inherent and intrinsic process. In this vast universe, the only thing that remains constant is change. It is dynamism which keeps the universe on its toes. It changes and evolves its components. The vibrancy of the living world is due to persistent change. A celebrity Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, had said that no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man. It very well encapsulates the changeable nature of the world.
The change affects non-living rivers, mountains, waterfalls and seasons as much as it affects humans, animals and plants. It is interconnected and causes movement in the behaviour, demeanour and appearance of an object. The forces of friction and gravitation cause wear and tear. All forces combine and act as a tool of evolutionary change. It is the seemingly mild yet consistent impact that rubs, presses, grates, and powders the physical world. The place that once was a vast sea becomes a lofty mountain, and a barren place converts into a thick forest teeming with life and vice versa.
Human beings are the result of long and constant evolutionary change. His arrival is the result of years of experimentation by natural forces. It is the saga of long and tedious work that initiated change in organisms and, ultimately, human beings. Even after the emergence of creature-lookalike humans, it took long, very long to become a man of modern time. Their highly evolved brain, dexterity and standing stance with free hands and thumbs helped them notice things around them and work with ease.
From a cave-dwelling solitary habit to a socialistic with highly organised society and concerted behaviour, human beings passed through various changes that were the outcome of external changes in the atmosphere, physical geography and seasons. The change is still continuing.
Change is not only important but impactful as well. The different sets of change in society impact its individuals as a whole. Some feel it, some feel a little less, but the impact is silent and converts a whole lot of things in an individual. The climatic change, local conditions and availability of food decide the physical appearance of an individual. Different ethnicity is the testimony of racial diversity because of the impact of change.
With human progression and society becoming organised, the impact gradually started spreading horizontally across society, impacting individuals. The man-made incidents have an impactful impression of the condition.
As has been described in the earlier paragraphs, a castle, fort, or fortress became necessary to protect society, its people, their lives and property from aggression. Collective life allows the sharing of happiness and woes besides mass protection and taking care of each other.
In today’s world, factors influencing individuals and society are both physical and human-made. While the necessities of prehistoric humans were limited to shelter and hunger, they adapted themselves suitably. They used crude tools made up of flint stone. It evolved to give rise to more refined metal tools and weapons.
In today’s time, when humans have developed the capacity to accumulate all comforting facilities and everything that they need to create hegemony, he is affecting themselves and others by changing the environment and natural balance. Besides that, they often try to change the world order by using destructive means. Humanity has seen devastating wars in modern times.
The use of atomic bombs for mass destruction during WWII has written a horrific story of destruction and mass killing. The genocide of Jews in Nazi concentration camps is a big blot on the face of humanity. These incidents have had a powerful negative impact. It drastically changed the word order.
Post WWII the changed world was different. Sharply divided into two major blocks, the powerful nations tried to attract recently freed nations towards them. Some sided with Western Block (including NATO) while some with Communist Block. It led to heavy polarization of countries. India, nevertheless, did not align with any Block. It remained Non-Aligned. It paid.
India started its journey for development and progress, which continued at a rather slow pace until recently. The pace ultimately converted into a jump and the country started flying high in the sky. People’s perception has drastically changed from a lethargic feeling to feeling like a juvenile.
Technology is playing a pivotal role in bringing a paradigm shift in people’s perceptions. The modern Era is of Technology, that too of computers and robotics. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has not only changed the way of thinking but has deeply influenced people’s lives variously. Fast-changing vision and use of technology have made people more enthusiastic but, at the same time, apprehensive. Some are fearing losing jobs while some view it as an opportunity.
It is inevitable. The change over to a new thing and the transition period brings confusion and enthusiasm. We have seen a period of transition in the recent past when office work was being mechanized. Typewriters were making inroads in official work. The copyists, scared of losing their jobs, viewed typewriters as their potential foes and used to scold them. Once the dust settled, things became normal until computers started entering. The whole scene was replayed again.
Aggressive computer technology has spread itself and taken everything by storm. It is not limited to office only but almost every aspect of life is being affected. Individual privacy type of thing is becoming obsolete. Servers located on foreign soil have vital personal data with them. The stored personal data are used for aggressive and personalized marketing. Sometimes, news about misusing personal data has also made headlines. It is worrying. The respite is that countries are making legal provisions to check the misuse or overuse of data used for commercial purposes or to hoodwink people.
As has been underscored in the above discourse, the change and its consequential impact can’t be stopped. It is inevitable and things adapt themselves according to the changed scenario or environment. Those who successfully adopt themselves survive or otherwise perish under the crushing situation. It is the principle of life, like eating or being eaten.
The cycle of change has been there in the past; it is in the current, and it will stay in future. It continues ad nauseam. Change is a dynamic that allows life to sustain itself and teaches everyone lessons of survival and development.
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