A Witness to My Changing Self: Introspection Of The Journey of Life

Editor’s Note: An Opportunity for Introspection

Introspection can be a powerful tool, but how often do we have the time or inclination to review the journey of our lives and think about our changing self? As we hustle our way through our daily routines, the experiences that have helped shape us, fade into the background and we distance ourselves from the essence of our origins and who we are. In this piece, ‘A Witness to My Changing Self’, Bornali Das portrays various stages of her life, giving a brief insight into how experiencing life through a spectrum of changes has led her to gaining wisdom. Enjoy reading, and avail the opportunity to introspect about the changes that you have witnessed in your own life journey!

“Catch Up with Life”- A Note to My Changing Self

How often do we contemplate on the changes invariably transpiring in our lives, taking a moment to sit back and reflect on our past and the memories we left behind? I, for one, am the kind to think more into the impending future. And in the process, I often fail to observe the implications of those pivotal events occurring in life, their significance escaping me and losing themselves into oblivion.

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Places and Phases: Reflecting on My Journey

Ukhrul: Laying the Foundation of My Being

I was born in the mountains of Ukhrul, a place as glorious as divinity itself, an abode to many wonders of nature and one whose glory is yet to be discovered. My appreciation knows no bounds, as I marvel at the fact that I was brought to life in this wonderful place.

I believe that my place of birth has laid the foundation to the very essence of the individual I’m becoming. I have travelled a great many miles from my initial point, traversing through the complex web of life, encountering a myriad of astounding experiences, and yet I remain amazed by the oneness of this place.

The depths of the hearts of humankind cannot be known. But in my birthplace, the plum blossoms smell the same as in the years gone by.

Clay MacCauley

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Guwahati: Living in Harmony Amid Diversity

Most of my teenage life was spent in my father’s hometown in Guwahati, Assam, a place that is in contrast to my birthplace, not only in view but in the distinct community of people it represents. It was here that I first encountered the diversity in the human race, the place being a home to people belonging to many a heterogeneous group. It was here that I learned how to live in harmony in an amalgamation of different customs, traditions, faith, religion, and language.

Through life’s many explorations, one receives the wisdom that the most intrinsic nature of humankind is formed regardless of race or skin colour. Along with the formal education I received in educational institutions, I earned an abundance of knowledge in the fundamentals of living.

We must learn to endure what we cannot avoid. Our life is composed, like the harmony of the world, of contrary things, also of different tones, sweet and harsh, sharp and flat, soft and loud. If a musician liked only one kind, what would he have to say?

Michel De Montaigne

Related Read: Positive thinking via daily affirmations , Practicing Gratitude, Dealing with Adversity

Nagaland: Patience Is a Virtue

My next short stop was in Nagaland, a place native to the indigenous Naga people of India. It was an eventful period as I spent a year in association with an educational establishment. Life had not prepared me to be a teacher, and all my life’s training fell short. I was confronted with the shortcomings of my intellect, or rather the insufficiency of my knowledge. In my humble opinion, being responsible for nurturing a child’s mind is a position of great respect. Strangely enough, there is no instruction guide or a written account that prepares one to take on this esteemed role.

In the course of time, it was my forbearance towards the circumstances that taught me the ultimate virtue of being a teacher. Be as it may, my life was no longer a straight path, and through thick and thin, I learned the true meaning of the phrase, ”patience is a virtue.”

I consider this phase of my life integral, for it was here life taught me how to face the harsh realities of truth, something that transformed me into a being stronger in spirit and mind.

Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.

George Bernard Shaw

Europe: The Learning Never Ends

I find myself curious as to if life ever prepares you for where it is taking you next, and if it is always as unforeseen as it has been for me. I wonder if it often creates a wave of ambiguity in our carefully crafted plans for the future. Having to spend some very significant years of my life in Europe had been the furthest of my dreams. But, when the opportunity presented itself to me, I couldn’t refrain from conceding to it.

Hence, started my journey to learning the many skills of life, without which I would otherwise be rendered inadequate. It is with complete honesty that I say, it was a revelation when I realized how presumptuous it was for me to assume that I was accomplished in every way as a human. It couldn’t have been further from the truth, my many encounters and experiences attesting to that. In the process to gaining, I had to let go of many preconceived ideas and notions, and ones which I had considered with absolute importance. 

As I embarked on a new path to creating myself, I discovered that life is as much about surrendering as it is about obtaining. Above and beyond, I now simply believe that there is no end to the fulfilment from learning.

We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.

Peter Drucker

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Forward-Bound but Present-Focused

I’m taking leave from this introspection of my journey with a note of anticipation for the next destination in my life. I preserve a room in my minuscule existence for new happenings, new acquaintances, and many more adventures. No matter where we stand today, tomorrow is always a mystery, but one we could fill with hope, and that’s the beauty of it.

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.

Eleanor Roosevelt

About The Author

Bornali Das is a PhD student in Mathematics, from the University of Szeged, Hungary. She believes writing is a means of building bridges between souls, and this is what she attempts to do by sharing these pieces that are in some way related to her individuality.

More from Bornali Das:

• In the Glorification of Friendship Lost– is a piece about a friendship she experienced that left a lifelong impact on her soul, even though it existed for a very short time.
• The Call of the Peaks: Hiking the Tatra Mountains– Life lessons learned from a hiking journey to the Tatra Mountains in Europe.

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