#but stagnation upheld by the fear of or refusal to change is inhibitory to growth

[hyperfixation-hideout]

Qrow: Heh. Never change, kid.

Oscar:

Qrow: Shit wait-

#qrow branwen #oscar pine #rwby incorrect quotes #quinpost #oscar like 'oh yeah great advice hadn't considered that one' #change is a good thing though (in general that is - not all change is positive) #but stagnation upheld by the fear of or refusal to change is inhibitory to growth #everyone changes second by second; choice by choice we rebuild ourselves #why should the ozcarnations be any different? #wanting to stay the same in an attempt to hold onto one's sense of self is often the thing keeping a person from becoming themself #Change doesn't detract from identity; it's an addition. A recreation. Change is a symptom of choice. #ofc the merge complicates that ideology. But it doesn't negate the importance of viewing oneself not as a collection of traits and beliefs #but as an ephemeral and intangible consciousness in constant flux. Identity is a manmade and self-inflicted phenomenon #a concept we use to feel we know ourselves as something separate from others; from the universe at large #but it's a dance - as you change yourself; the universe changes with you. You're a part of it after all. It isn't the same without you. #'Never change' - while good-intentioned - suggests an ultimate you defined by this instant of you. Always change. In small ways and big. #I'm not saying you should change the things you love about yourself or shouldn't take pride in who you are right now #but keep in mind there is no one version of you and that's okay. Change and grow and experiment and make mistakes; try and fail and laugh. #live your life not as a thing; 'things' don't exist inherently. The idea of 'thing' is a product of human perception just like identity #because we like to define things and experiences to better understand them #and that's a beautiful quality of ours - our curiosity and examination that drives us to look deeper #just remember you're more than a definition you give yourself or others give you #ever heard the phrase 'you can't step in the same river twice'? #the only reason we consider it the same river regardless of the water and ecosystem changing is location #and we consider our consciousnesses to be located within ourselves. So we see ourselves as we see a river on a map - by its name. #even if every fish is replaced; as mountains replenish the water; if every rock is eroded and carried to the ocean; if it changes course #or even if we ourselves reroute it with a dam; we don't see it as a new river #much like the Ship of Theseus: it has the same name even though every part of it has changed. Is it the same ship? Are we the same person? #It's a false dilemma. The metric by which we determine 'same' is how it relates to us. There's no intrinsic sameness in nature. Nor in you.