Sem. Nathaniel G. Mingo Rev. Fr.

Melvin Fetizanan
1st Year Philosophy History of Ancient Philosophy

Heraclitus: The Only Constant in Life is Change

“All things are in Flux”
Heraclitus shifted attention to a new problem, the problem of change. His chief idea is was

that “all things are in flux” and he expressed this concept of constant change by saying that “you

cannot step twice into the same river.” The river changes because “fresh waters are ever flowing

in upon you.” This concept of flux, thought Heraclitus, must apply not only into rivers but to all

things, including the human soul. Heraclitus’ philosophy is a good starting point for anyone

concerned with change in life. Heraclitus said that life is like a river. The peaks and troughs, pits

and swirls, are all are part of the ride. Do as Heraclitus would go with the flow. Enjoy the ride, as

wild as it may be. Heraclitus was born into a wealthy family, but he renounced his fortune and

went to live in the mountains. There, Heraclitus had plenty of opportunity to reflect on the

natural world. He observed that nature is in a state of constant flux. ‘Cold things grow hot, the

hot cools, the wet dries, the parched moistens’, Heraclitus noted. Everything is constantly

shifting, changing, and becoming something other to what it was before. Heraclitus concluded

that nature is change. Like a river, nature flows ever on wards even the nature of the flow

changes. “Everything is flowing,” Heraclitus said. Everything is in motion, and nothing lasts

forever. That is why we cannot enter “twice in the same river”. By the time we get out and about

again, we ourselves and the waters of the river will have changed. Heraclitus also observed that

the world is sealed by constant contradictions. If we didn’t get sick, then we wouldn’t know what

health means. If we were not hungry, then we would not rejoice in satiating. If there was never a

war, then we could not appreciate the value of peace. And if winter never came, then we
wouldn’t even watch the coming of spring. Both Good and Evil have their place within the whole

and are equally necessary, Heraclitus said. Without this endless game of contrasts, the world

would cease to exist. Flux and Fire, to describe change as unity in diversity, Heraclitus assumed

that there must be something which changes, and he argued that this something is fire. But he

did not simply substitute the element of fire for Thales’ water or Anaximenes air. Heraclitus says

that “Fire lives in the death of earth, air lives in the death of fire, water lives in the death of air,

and earth in the death of water.” “Everything flows and nothing abides; everything gives way and

nothing stays fixed.” “Everything changes and nothing stands still.” We all face changes every day

whether it is a simple change in the weather, our schedule or expected change of seasons.

Change affects us all and we each deal with change differently. This only constant in life, the only

thing we can be sure will happen. To expect change has brought me hope during challenging or

unexpected life events. This same thought has also brought fear in situations where the last

thing I wanted was change. I’ve come to realize it’s not the circumstances or the changes that

dictate how my life will go, but rather how I handle those changes and disruptions. No matter

the change we experience, how we embrace that change will forever impact how we are able to

live with the change. Heraclitus says "there is nothing permanent except change". Time cannot

be stopped, it cannot run backward. Once a change occurred in certain time period it tends to

change by time. No one can remain unchanged with the time flow. The only thing that is

permanent and acceptable is time will change everything and anything. Heraclitus’ fragment on

Flux gives profound insight into the relationship of our perception of consistency, change and

destruction in nature. Although much of what is written about Heraclitus suggests everything is

constantly changing, some fragments like his claim that the world is an ever-living fire suggest

there is some consistency in a law-like exchanging of elements, embodied by fire. It was believed

by Plato that by following the doctrine of flux of all sensible things, knowledge is made
impossible. Heraclitus however does nothing to reject knowledge or wisdom from correct

intellect of the cosmos. He did however believe that most people are merely sleepwalking in life,

incapable of having wisdom and Knowledge. This is not to be taken literally, because Heraclitus

believed that the “one’ could never be any material thing, but was found in the orderliness of

change. He said fire was “always changing yet somehow is always the same.” He believed that

everything is being changed constantly, and this is occurring through a state of flux. By having

orderliness, it becomes possible for the human mind to comprehend the world, instead of it

being entirely chaotic and based on the will of gods. Since the rate of change is constant, an

appearance of permanence exists. Hence, “one cannot step into the same river twice.” I think

many of us have experience difficult problems. I know I do. Certainly, when things are going

poorly for us, we can take solace in the fact that, no matter what, things are not going to stay the

same. They might get better, or they might get worse, but they are going to be different. It’s

important to note that this will happen whether we proactively try to change our situation or

not. when life is going great for us, we “want things to stay this way forever.” Let’s keep

everything the same, and these happy times will continue indefinitely. Unfortunately, that’s not

the way life works. Again, whether we actively try to keep things as they are or not, change is

going to happen. If change is unavoidable, what’s the point of even talking about it? Well, we are

all not only affected by change, we are affected by how we feel about change. Do we embrace

it? Fear it? Resist it? Avoid it as much as possible. Obviously, how we feel about change often

depends on the situation, as alluded to above. In our day-to-day lives, however, a healthy

attitude toward the idea of change is important if we want to live our lives to the fullest. We all

need to follow our hearts and live our lives according to our values. If fear of change is hindering

us from doing this, we can work hard to change our way of thinking. However, over time I have

learned to sit with the change which is imposed on me and reflect on my personal values. For
me, whatever difficult moments that come in my life I know that I will overcome this situation

and what we can or can’t do in society will never interfere with my personal values. We all hold

personal values that are so intrinsically liked to who we are and helps to motivate us to get

through challenging times. Our personal values can give us a reason to keep going while sitting

with uncomfortable changes in our lives and can give us hope, and a sense of connectivity to our

inner self. Furthermore, I try to reflect on the positive changes in my life, rather than the

negative, and accept for now some changes are out of my control. In my life, I have been

exposed to a challenge called change. Change can occur in many different ways and is dealt with

in many different ways. I have come to the awareness that change can be the deepest of all

things. I always thought that change occurred when you moved to a difficult situation or when

you lost someone real close to you. The people we adore love us so much that they want us to

remain the way we are forever. Like how my mother always wanted me to stay the same little

child, but I grew up. Not all people can stay the same for a long time. If the people we love and

adore would just accept the change and go with it, they would understand where the change

was coming from. When I was ready for high school, I was expected to change almost everything

in my life. The reason that somebody wants to change is usually not their choice, but a feeling

that the person feels inside their head. Maybe the change isn’t the best change, but if you dig

deeper, the person that you adore isn’t really changing. They are just trying to find themselves

and the one thing they need the most is the support of the people who they care about the

most. When I was attending college, I was expecting a lot of changing to take place. With the

support of my family and friends, it was no big deal for me. “There is nothing permanent in life

except change,” said philosopher Heraclitus. Change does not require you to force yourself.

Consider this change with a peaceful and calm attitude, try to see all the aspects of the process

and situation one by one. It is necessary because the situation is already causing you stress,
therefore, the least you have to do control the situation. This is a simple way to be able to move

forward calmly and without stress. I believe that change is good, and if nothing changed, then

life would not exist for most people. I also believe that people should purposely make changes in

their life, in order to experience new things, and see how one can benefit from doing things

differently. Most of the time, people will find that changes help them understand things better,

and enjoy life more. Change allows people to grow, not only mentally, but also physically and

emotionally. Change can be as simple as changing your daily routine, or as complicated as

making life-altering decisions. People who take risks and make changes in their lives are very

brave, and also very smart. I believe that everyone should try to mix up their lives at some point,

as an experiment to see what works for you. Whether or not someone likes what these changes

have brought into their lives, it is still a great opportunity to learn about oneself and others.

Change is a very powerful thing, and that is not realized by many. Some changes are out of your

control, and others can be made entirely by yourself. Regardless, it allows you to experience life,

enjoy life, and learn a lot along the way. If you find changes is overwhelming in your life you

don’t have to deal with them alone. Friends, family, and support groups are available but you

have to reach out which can be difficult but you don’t have to suffer. Remember you are not

alone and no one likes changes that have a negative impact on their lives but remember as

Heraclitus said “The only constant in life is change” and change affects us all, and we each deal

with it differently.