To Change, or Not To Change

Change is a funny thing. Sometimes it is for the best, but sometimes it is for the worst. Change also has many risks that come with it. If a change you have made in your life fails it can put you in a worst position than the one you were in that caused you to make a change. I think that’s why it is hard for people to make major changes in their lives. For example I am not a huge fan of change. If I am comfortable with a situation, even if it isn’t the best and could be better, I won’t try to do anything to make a change. People get too comfortable in situations and the risk is not worth the reward for change. Sometimes though, a change can make all the difference. I changed schools last year because I was not happy with the direction I was heading in, and it ended up being one of the best decisions I have ever made. I am going in the direction I want to go, I’m much happier, and I’m around the people I care about most.

An example of this resistance to change is Ono from the book, An Artist of the Floating World. Throughout the book we see Ono try to hold on to the old beliefs of Japan before the war. In a conversation between Ono and Matsuda we see that Matsuda suggest that Ono is naive to changes that the Okada-Shingen will bring to artists and Matsuda says that Ono knows “… very little about anything” in referring to what Ono knows about changes in politics around him. (Ishiguro, p.172)

A little bit later though we see Ono kind of on the fence about the change that is taking place, but is still leaning towards holding on to the old ways and beliefs. He says “But tell me, Taro, don’t you worry at times we might be a little too hasty in following the Americans?” ( Ishiguro, p. 185) We see that Ono isn’t concerned too much about making a change as much as he is making that change too fast or using too many of the ideals of another culture. Ono is just worried that he won’t be able to adjust to the change or it will take too long to adjust to the change and he won’t be recognized as a great artist any more.

Towards the end of the book Ono is sitting outside of a building people watching and he sees three men talking to each other and having a laugh. He thinks to himself

“… I feel a certain nostalgia for the past and the district as it used to be. But to see how our city has been rebuilt, how things have recovered so rapidly over these years, fills me with genuine gladness. Our nation, it seems, whatever mistakes it may have made in the past, has now another chance to make a better go of things.” (Ishiguro, p. 206)

In the end Ono realized that although his town made mistakes the change that took place was for the better and it needed to happen. He was able to finally understand the change that was taking place and he was able to accept it and it worked out for the better in the end.

Change can be a bad thing, but it is a very rare occasion. It may be hard to accept a change in your life, but most likely it will be a good one even though you may go through a lot of trouble or have a lot of hard times in the process. And like we saw in the book, you can resist it all you want, but change is going to happen at some point and it will probably be a good one even though at first it may not look like it.