Autumn’s Unforgettable Gift of Change

Despite what many people say and try to convince others of when it comes to their “spontaneous” and “eclectic” natures, the human species shows a tendency to resist change. From exalted leadership down to salt-of-the-earth individuals, we love our routines, crave consistency and shun the unfamiliar. We buy the same brands of food each week, sometimes in pursuit of healthy lifestyles, but often times because we prefer that which we thoroughly know. We maintain allegiances to forms of entertainment, traditions of culture and religion and prefer specific patterns to our actions and behaviors, all because there is comfort in stability and that which is recognizable. And there is nothing wrong with such behavior, in fact the most effective ways towards becoming a responsible and efficient citizen and member of the community is by establishing trusted and treasured habits that serve many needs. Creating enduring and steadfast algorithms for life has obvious benefits when it comes to emotional and physical contentment, but there is a dark flipside to reliance on tried and true practices and resistance to change. The choice of repelling change is also the pathway towards stagnation, stultification and decay. That which does not change cannot grow in innovative and productive manners and that is because change is natural to all things. Change is built into the very fabric of the Physical Laws of the Universe. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics explains how entropy must increase within any closed system, so there for nothing can last, all things must fail. But that which changes can increase its likelihood of remaining dynamic by embracing modifications that are positive, logical and can fuel continued vibrancy. Few things in the lives of human kind are more of the essence of change than the Season that is Autumn.

Autumn is the virtual definition of change because so much of our history, culture, religion and even physical cues are tied to the incredible shifts that occur during the Fall months. While each season brings on its own elements of change, the tides of life begin altering very rapidly in September as days shorten, temperatures cool and the landscape transforms around us. All of this impacts our schedules, our activities, our livelihoods and our very emotions become a maelstrom of conflicting feelings, so very different from the other times of the year which tend to be dominated by singular moods. And as the Season progresses this intensifies in so many exhilarating ways. Even the color palate of our lives is a riot of constant variation during the Autumn. In Summer and Winter, the dominant colors maintain their ascendancy throughout their hold on the land. In Summer, greens and blues hold the land in sway, while in winter it tends to be muted earth tones and variations on white. Only in the short-lived time of High Spring is there a panoply of color to be seen, but NOT throughout the landscape. Only in small splashes of blossoms do we see change hold court in wondrous rich and pastel jewel tones.
You can read more of this article in our October 2016 issue of Modelsmania