Remember how you hated the flavour of coffee in 3rd grade but drink it every alternate day now?
Or how you couldn't read a page a few years ago but read every single day before bedtime now?
What changed?
You internalised the fact that you hated coffee and reading. But at some point in time, you revisited both of them and realised, well, you don't hate any of them anymore. So you allowed yourself to unbox and rebuild your thoughts. And the outcome was different than what it was a few years ago.
This phenomenon isn't just limited to coffee or books; it's related to every aspect of our lives.
As humans, we are rigid, stubborn and wary of change. Change is seen as a function of being initially wrong, not as a function of evolution. As a result, the thoughts and opinions we form around events, things, people, we barely revisit them internally. Instead, we subconsciously wait for an external trigger. And in that process, we miss out on significant developments.
The truth is you are not the same person you were last year, let alone a few years back. Our thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes, and opinions constantly evolve. And we have to give ourselves a chance to develop.
Break pointless cycles, build new ones and then break them too once you feel they have become meaningless.
Newton's First Law of Motion states that an object remains at rest or in motion until an external force is acted upon. Have we ever thought about why we are letting the laws of physics govern how we humans operate?
Our thoughts must not remain in inertia. Challenge them often, unbox them. Question older beliefs, foster new ones. Yes, it is not easy. Constantly challenging yourself breeds vulnerability. It breeds self-doubt. But beyond the realm of vulnerability is the experience of feeling truly liberated, not held back in the shackles of what your 8-year-old version believed to be true.
So call that classmate you fought with years back but still don't talk to today. Try on the clothes you were once made to believe didn't suit you. Sit on the rollercoaster you feel is too scary. You will discover something new about yourself. And that is all life is about.
Unbox. Box. Unbox.
~ Ishaan Ahluwalia, Batch of 2016-2017
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