Metamorphosis: Being Human (Not Just a Human Being) Through Personal Growth
What would you think if you could change your body shape as well as your daily life and routine? What would you think if you began your life with gills to breathe and fins to swim underwater, then later grew a set of lungs and legs to live on dry land? Does starting out to walk on the ground with two legs and then later developing wings to fly sound like an impossible idea to you? Trust me, this is no fairy tale. There are real creatures out there who make these types of changes every day: it’s known as metamorphosis .
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal’s body structure through cell growth and differentiation. The word “metamorphosis” originated from the Greeks and holds the meaning to transform. Mother nature is teeming with examples of such transformation-frogs, salmons, various insects, etc. In fact, many insects go through extreme changes as they grow and develop into adults. You’re likely familiar with caterpillars and butterflies-caterpillars begin their lives crawling and eating only later transforming into butterflies !
People change too, but our change is actually more developmental than transformational. We, the Homo sapiens have an endoskeleton, which means that our skeleton system is on the inside of our bodies, where the bones and other cartilage grow longer and thicker over a certain period of time.
On the other hand, insects have an exoskeleton , which means that their skeletal system is on the outside of their bodies. An exoskeleton is composed of chitin, which, by nature, is a hard material. is non-flexible and insects must make new skeletons as they grow larger. That’s why they adopt a method of transformation- metamorphosis-which can sometimes occur as radical transformation known as complete metamorphosis.
So, what is metamorphosis in human beings then? It’s apparent that humans, unlike those of insects and other specific creatures, do not experience metamorphosis in the physical sense. However, let’s take a metaphorical approach here-human beings do go through metamorphosis in order to become truly human.
You may have come across phrases like “Be human first!” or seen people wearing “Being Human” t-shirts; but, has it ever occurred to you that being born a Homo sapien and being human are two completely different things? It takes a great deal of effort to transform into a complete human being. Innumerable experiences and changes throughout our childhood, adolescence, and youth shape us into who we are as human beings.
Continuous development of oneself depends on many factors, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that the bulk of this ceaseless progression resides in the person. The fundamentals of bettering oneself-the process of a person trying to attain the true essence of a complete human being-might not be limited to a few bullet points, but you may learn a lot about growth and transformation by taking a look at the following.
Remain true to yourself
The first and foremost thing required to transform into a better human being is remaining true to your conscience and thwarting your own detrimental instincts. Sticking to this can get quite hard, but believe me, weighing every action you do through daily introspection can help you be the person you want to be.
Be compassionate and open-minded
A famous Bengali proverb says: “Possessing a life makes you a living being only, whereas possessing a mind makes you human.” In society, you have to become more compassionate, approachable, and open to everyone’s opinions. You should master the art of utilizing others’ constructive feedbacks and criticisms to become a better version of yourself. Keep an open mind, consider how you treat others around you, and don’t hesitate to change the way you think.
Develop your personality
Developing a good personality is crucial to becoming a better human being. Don’t be neglectful of your duties, be punctual, take pride in your work, don’t break promises (if you can’t keep one, don’t make it in the first place), don’t lie or cheat, maintain integrity-the list just keeps on going.
Learn to accept failures
Failures are an inevitable part of our lives. Fearing to fail and thus restraining oneself from taking some risks and trying new possibilities is a bad idea. Remember that, “You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take.”
When you do fail and are going through tough times, don’t give up. Remain patient and try to figure out what’s wrong. Work scrupulously to minimize the negative impacts and use every failure as a lesson to learn from your mistakes so you can grow and thrive in the future.
Increase your self-reliance
“When darkness arrives, even your own shadow disappears…let alone your friends.”
To prepare yourself for the hardest times in life, start lessening your dependence on others. Know yourself and what you’re capable of, and make sure you remain confident. Learn to trust yourself and make major life decisions by yourself.
Possess a greater sense of purpose
One of the greatest differences between humans and other living beings is that we don’t perform any task simply for the sake of doing it. Take food, clothes, groceries, or whatever into consideration-we go on to attribute more to all these things than what is actually needed. So, whenever you are completing any task, consider the bigger picture and involve your heart in making the best of your efforts-for you and the humanity as a whole.
Each stage of human life teaches us new lessons and aids in the process of unremitting transformation. The beauty of human life is inherent within this transformation. So, exert yourself to row the boat of your life with full control, and direct it to your desired path!
Originally published at https://mindfray.com on June 15, 2018.
