Heraclitus Argument: Change is Consistent

Heraclitus is known for his argument that change is consistent; that everything in the world is always changing. The saying shows this perfectly because it illustrates how even things that seem constant to us are changing. According to Heraclitus, he reasoned that everything is always changing and that this fact is necessary to the functioning of the universe, it is not possible to step in the "same river" twice because the river is ever-changing. Although we may look at this river and see that it seems, generally speaking, the same as it did the last time we stepped in it, it is, in fact, different. Setting aside any potential movement of the riverbed, rocks, branches, fish, and the like, the water itself is always going to be different between any one moment and any other moment. It may flow from the same source; it may taste the same and look the same and be the same temperature, but it is different water than the water we touched the last time.

Because the water is always running, the river is never the same, even if we see it as being the same. Everyday, people change because we have new experiences which shape us. So, we cannot step into the same river twice. People also encounter new people who influence us and change our lives. We read books, and we travel to new places which these change us. If everything is in a state of flux, how can we use that to our advantage? The ability to change is more important today because we are living in a dynamic environment, where things are changing at the speed of light. To succeed, you must embrace change.We can look at human beings and societies. Our society has also been changing all the things that happen in our world. Our life is like the river that seems to stay, but it is constantly evolving. We can say similar things like this for many others like communities, planets, individual, countries, universes. Even if the change is happening so slow that we cannot notice it with our eyes it still exists, always.

Every experience is unique, and we learn so much from them. They add a unique touch to our personality. We are constantly changing, and moving forward. Even though the river is metaphorical, as we get to move forward, the rivers we crossed stay in the past.