Guidelines and best practices overview

¶ … Grow with Change

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward." These words of Henry Ford, at one time, were so much water off a duck's back as far as I was concerned. for, like Newton's First Law of Motion, my life was pretty much moving along smoothly in the direction of my choice. Till the day, a cataclysmic event took place, which made me understand the wisdom in Henry Ford's philosophy.

The cataclysmic event that I am referring to occurred a few years ago when I learnt that one of my closest friends had been diagnosed with leukemia, and that too with a very poor prognosis. Devastating news of this nature will unbalance anyone and naturally, I was no different. However, in my case, it also proved to be a major life altering experience, changing my personality from that of a totally carefree, somewhat self-absorbed teenager to a more mature, caring one.

Actually, as I write this, it both interests and amuses me that Newton's First Law of Motion is sometimes also referred to as the "law of inertia." for, it seems such an apt description of the life that so many people lead. In fact, I can now see just how the "law of inertia" once governed my life as well. Today, I find the human tendency to get wrapped in a false sense of security, leading to complacency and inertia, a source of constant amazement. But the truth is that I was much the same till life forced me to realize that nothing or no one can be taken for granted.

When I first discovered that I was likely to loose my friend to leukemia, I simply refused to believe it. for, just a few weeks before, we had been enthusiastically planning to do everything in our power to get accepted in the same college. The disbelief and denial, however, quickly receded to be followed by a bout of severe grief and depression, characterized by tears, temper tantrums, sulks, and long periods of withdrawal from family and friends.