I showed it to a friend not too long ago and their response--"Wow, you haven't changed much."
So, the point is, throughout our lives I believe our inner nature stays the same. Maturity plays a huge role in how we act in certain situations (because if I were in a wedding today, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't throw a tantrum) but there's this part of yourself you will never lose touch with. You can say you've changed on certain levels, maybe you have a new set of opinions on a matter or made some drastic lifestyle changes, but ultimately the qualities of your mind will remain the same.
Tim O'Brien uses eyes as evidence of this-"I know my own eyes"(236). I think most people could look at a photo of themselves at an earlier point in their life and automatically recognize the fact that they still have the same gaze. Describing the essence of oneself can get to be a kind of strange concept, but seeing how ones eyes are unchanging from birth to death makes it more concrete.
6 comments:
Perhaps physically the eyes do not change. However, I look at mine and the skin surrounding them; the lids now lined. One top lid almost covers one eye. Wrinkles at the corners. Could someone look at these eyes who had not seen me for years and say, "I know that person." I don't know.
Do I look at life differently than I once did? I think so. Do I think my inner core of being has changed? I am not sure. I wonder.
According to my mother, my father returned from WWII a different man. I wonder what he would have been like had he never witnessed war. He was an m.d. in a MASH unit and saw the effect of battle each day. Is it possible that he could not find his core being when he returned? I do not know. He died when I was 10.
I love your last line of "...how ones eyes are unchanging from birth to death...". I think that is the essence of this whole piece. Whether we change or not, one thing stays the same: our eyes. All the fears, delights, thoughts, and even memories shine through the very portal we use to bring it all inside.
Hey!
I absolutely love your style of writing. I really enjoyed reading this post. I like how you made the distinction between changing and simply maturing. Maturing comes with the ability to control our actions and it just gives the "illusion of change."
As we mature, we experience different emotions in different situations. For example, I think (and hope) that today you would not be jealous over your aunt having a bigger bouquet than you. Good job :]
I really liked the way you approached this blog. Putting your own life experience of your aunt's wedding really helped grasp the essence of the piece. We do change in some ways from kids to adults, and as you mentioned I do believe that maturity plays a major part in these changes. Like you, I do believe that the core of our being does remain the same over time. I also how you ended the piece pointing out the our eyes and gaze are the same no matter what age we are. I really enjoyed your post, good job.
I too like your prose very much. I also like the ideas they embody. Even though I took up the opposite viewpoint, that everything can change about a person, the human development is not something that I am certain of to any definitiveness. Your idea of a core, around which maturity develops and shapes the person, is interesting and appealing. However, I must ask this question. What do you suppose develops this core (from what or where is it influenced?) and how does this core come to be immutable?
I have to start off by saying that your example of the wedding is something that brings sound support to your argument. It is something that many people could relate to any easily understand. You have really done a great job with this blog...it presents a valid opinion...and I greatly appreciate the way in which you presented it. "I believe our inner nature stays the same" This I feel is a stament of much truth, but is it possible for someone to change their inner nature if they want to?
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