Describe one positive change you have made in your life.
The piece reflects on the theme of change, emphasizing its inevitability and significance in life. As the narrator observes a once barren land that has transformed into a thriving green patch thanks to community efforts, he contemplates the transience of existence and the impact of time on nature and human perception. It highlights how evolution and personal growth are continuous processes, urging the importance of self-evaluation and adaptability. The notable thing is that while change can be daunting, it is essential for progress and wisdom. Self-improvement should align with personal integrity rather than conforming to external expectations.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- Change is inevitable and significant for personal growth, influencing nature and human perceptions.
- The narrator reflects on a transformed land, emphasizing the importance of self-evaluation and adaptability.
- Through solitude by a river and ruins, he contemplates the transient nature of existence and growth.
- Personal growth requires organic change, not merely conforming to external expectations.
- Learning from experiences and being open to change fosters wisdom and resilience in personal development.
The evening
The evening was calm and still, yet full of activities. The birds were returning to their nest. After the hectic day, it was time to rest in their respective nest. The sun was about to end its journey, yet its blaze was strong enough and looking with unarmed eyes was impossible. A long tangerine crimson colour reflection of the sun in the quietly flowing river was telling that the day was about to end. The leaves of trees were gently waving, letting the sun’s rays peep out through their slits.
Solitude
Standing on the bank of the river, he was deeply engrossed in his thoughts. A little away from the city, it was a place which was barren with plumes of dust and litter. In the recent past in a festival-like setting, many children, youth and aged people planted saplings. The patch has now become green with a good canopy and is competing with the regular forest. He enjoys the solitude among the company of thickly growing trees. The patch has become his favourite place where he finds peace and a few moments to be with himself.
The ruins
Like always, the river was flowing quietly. It has changed its course from the past century to the present and now occupies the current path. A ruin of about a century-old edifice testifies to it. The edifice was a big enclosure with a few big rooms and a basement. It was a garden-like structure where the owners of this property would come and enjoy. The river flowed nearby. Built with small and thin bricks, the ruins have thick walls. The whole structure, built more than a century ago, must have been regal. The broken columns, vestiges of intricate stucco carvings and massive rooms tell their stories. He liked such places which are considered “haunted” by general perception.
A mysterious structure
The situation of the ruin amidst thick vegetation made it a more mysterious structure. The growing mosses and lichens on the worn-out walls, columns and doorways added to its mystery. As the sun went down on the horizon, the shadows of the columns were getting elongated, adding to their enigma.
Frequent visits
He kept wandering in the chambers of the ruin, touching and feeling them in an effort to visualise its grandeur. It was hard for him to think about its past glamour. The enigmatic charisma of the place often draws him back. The more he thought, the more he was caught in the convolution. After wandering and soliloquising, he came out of the edifice and, walking through the dirt path amidst the trees, arrived on the riverbank.
Setting sun and the river
The sun had gone down fairly below the horizon. It looked like a big crimson ball sans blaze, sinking in the water. Its reflection in the river had become more vivid and attractive. Some water birds were still skimming the water, and Swallows were hovering over the river. Looking at the setting sun, he glanced at the ruin. The pink hue of the setting sun was adding a dimension to the ruins. It looked beautiful against the azure sky with the streaks of wispy clouds.
Personal growth and change
The river has changed its course, and what was once a grand and palatial garden has now become rubble. The vagaries of time showed their effects everywhere. Looking like a routine, the change affected everything. The garden turned to ruin, and the place turned to barren land, are the result of change. The barren land has now become a green patch of woodland. He was thinking about the transience and impermanence of life vis-à-vis personal growth. While observing things, he continuously murmured as if talking to an invisible identity.
Human beings
At times, change is imperceptible but it leaves its permanent mark. It is like spoors that lead the way to the past and teach lessons to learn and improve. It is the change that has given rise to varieties of organisms. They evolved and developed features to cope with the changing situations. Humans are the result of a long and arduous evolutionary process. They are at the pinnacle, having well-developed brains. Though humans have much less physical power compared to other organisms or animals, they have conquered the world with their enhanced brain and cognitive power. They have scaled the space and landed on the moon and are researching the unknown things. The evolution has not yet stopped. It is a continuous process as the river doesn’t remain the same. It is why it is said that one can’t bathe in the same river twice.
Change is dynamic
Change epitomises dynamism. It adds a perspective. It can never lead to stagnation, for stagnation is inertia. Nothing can be inert, even non-living things are prone to change, as the old dilapidated edifice discussed above. Some changes are drastic, but a few are slow but have a great impact.
Creation of India
The Gondwana land slowly changed its place and gradually approached the landmass in the north, collided to raise the land, giving rise to a lofty mountain range. Thus, the Gondwana land collided with Laurasia, and India came into existence. The sketchy description shows the power of change. It is an eternal process that began with the birth of the Earth (even before that) and is still continuing.
Change and humans
In humans, the nature and behaviour change. Though apparently it goes unnoticed, the physical appearance changes leading to gradual personal growth. It can be seen by comparing one’s own photograph. Placing portrait pictures in a carousel, a story emerges about an individual. It shows the different degrees of change in physical appearance and behavioural change. (Psychology Fanatic)
Experience refines personal growth
Humans like self-praise. Keeping themselves at the highest pedestal, they try to judge others. Ignoring that their perception is also changing fast, they tame their inflated ego about themselves. The thing they once considered right changes as time changes. After a gap of a few years, their own perception becomes stale and outdated. A written prose read by its writer after a few months or years gives him a different perspective. It is natural because as humans grow, they accumulate a wealth of experience,, helping them to attain mental maturity. They view things pragmatically rather than clinging to impractical theoretical knowledge. With time and accumulated experience, the wisdom grows. Personal growth makes a person more sensible and seasoned. It adds weight to their personality, which keeps them grounded.
Self-evaluation for personal growth
Self-evaluation is essential. It gives an insight into understanding things in their proper perspective. For it, a dispassionate introspection is necessary. Shedding personal ego, peeping inside leads to enlightenment. No one is perfect and it is a futile idea to think about oneself in absolute terms. To err is human. Humans have the capacity to experience and change according to the lessons learned. Posing oneself as perfect can earn a nickname of “Mr/Ms Perfection” but it can’t make the person a “perfectionist” who wants and tries to achieve near-perfection.
Adopt a change for good
For personal growth, adopting a positive attitude is the best policy. It is equally necessary that change should be organic and not to accommodate or satiate the whim of others. People and relationships matter, but not at the cost of one’s personality and freedom. Adjustment and changing habits are good because it is a two-way traffic, but compromising with a situation, especially in a relationship, is derogatory. It weakens the mental and physical condition of the individual. A compromising person is like a vanquished person who would be expected to compromise every time to satiate the whims of others.
Chiselling out good
No one can satisfy everyone; therefore, putting a full stop is equally essential. People must learn to say NO. Saying no is also an art that comes through periodic jolts and ditches. Changing oneself to chisel out a pulchritudinous self is desirable for personal growth. It has to be carefully observed that the change is good for all. Learning from faults and improving is the only way to cross the vast sea of worldliness.
Every change reshapes and makes a stronger, wiser and more vibrant self.
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Kamal Kishore Srivastava
A retired government officer turned writer and photographer, Kamal Kishore Srivastava is a regular blogger and essayist who explores life’s deeper meanings through immersive reflections on nature, impermanence, and happiness. On his blog Nature’s Narrative, he blends philosophical storytelling with practical insights. Writing 1200–1500 or more words regularly, Kamal is committed to refining his craft, expanding his audience, and building a sustainable space where thought and feeling meet.
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