Heraclitus (an ancient Greek philosopher) wrote, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
I love this metaphor.
The moment you step in the water, it has already moved on, constantly flowing, constantly changing.
You may look at the river and see what looks like a single entity, but, of course, its very nature is constant change.
And, as Heraclitus so rightly points out, so is ours.
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” —Heraclitus
Both we and our lives are constantly changing. Our bodies are changing. Our perspectives and even our personalities are growing and evolving, responding to the flow of our experiences. Our values may change. What we want may change. The circumstances and events of our lives are in a constant flux. Our emotions are ebbing and flowing from one moment to the next.
When we try to hold on to the moment, to prevent things from changing, we often feel out of control, desperate, afraid. Sort of like trying to hold on to water as it flows through our hands. Read More