In my undergraduate days, it used to be fun and mentally engaging to explore the line of thought of some old Greek philosophers. Little did I know those golden words would stay with me beyond my academic years and would literally guide me through life.
One of such lines of thought is the Greek saying “we can’t step into a river twice” by the philosopher Heraclitus.
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Back then, within the four corners of the classroom, we mostly took these golden words at face value and sometimes explored their metaphysical implications too. Trust me, nothing more than that.
Not until recently, when I made some major life decisions. Even though they were important decisions, things unexpectedly took a quick turn, and I almost regretted taking those actions in the first place.
It was heavy, I blamed myself, felt suicidal at some point and felt like I might have just set myself up for future failures. But then i thought to myself, should I really fret?
After all, Heraclitus already said no one steps into a river twice. Why? Because once you step into a river, both you and the river become entirely new entities. By the time you step in again, it’s a completely different moment in time.
This line of thought shaped me into believing that what has happened has happened, and there’s no point replaying it endlessly.
It was a river I stepped into once, and I won’t ever step into that same river again because both myself and the circumstance have become two entirely different entities.
To be honest, this real-life meaning comforts me a lot and remains one of the things that keep me going.
Hi everyone, this is my first time coming across this community and it immediately felt like where I belong. I’m someone who studied philosophy out of curiosity, and that same curiosity is shaping my life today.
I’m genuinely happy to be here, and you can expect to see more from me going forward.