Can We Step Into The Same River Twice?
Can we step into the same river twice?
Change (verb): make (someone or something) different; alter or modify.
The pre-socratic philosopher Heraclitus championed the idea of constant change. The one thing that remains fixed is the truth that everything is always in flux. But what does this even mean? And how does this apply to our current day? Well, I’d like to lay out a few examples, because I find that I learn best from analogies. I have two: politics and love.
A contemporary political issue in which Heraclitus’s theory of flux is reflected is the 45th and 47th presidencies of Donald J. Trump. While the concrete existence of his presidency has occurred once before, many factors have changed. Trump has stepped into the same river, the White House, but also hasn’t stepped into the same river, as both himself and the political landscape of our American democracy, or lack thereof, have undergone vast change.
In 2016, Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States of America (USA). At the time, Trump had never held a government position prior to being sworn in. Inexperienced, Trump cycled through half a dozen campaign managers over his first two White House runs and four chiefs of staff during his first term. Additionally, Trump had little support from the Republican establishment during his initial campaign. The administration didn’t really know what they were doing, and it was obvious. Trump issued only four executive orders in his first five days in office. Even as his productivity picked up, his directives were so poorly constructed that the courts blocked the majority of them. Now in 2025, the Trump administration couldn’t be more different. Both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, are ruled by majority MAGA loyalist Republicans. Trump, in addition, has the Supreme Court wrapped around his finger. Trump came into office intent on his radically right-wing, conservative agenda, and what’s scarier this go-around is that he understands how to manipulate the government from his position in the executive branch to his advantage. From the same Oval Office, Trump now has no fear of impeachment or reelection. We’ve seen how Trump has much more effectively and rapidly been able to achieve his goals. For example, he’s already turned Elon Musk into the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)-- a decision that’s caused thousands of federal workers to lose their jobs. The political landscape in which Donald Trump has stepped into in 2025 is also much different. Global opposition forces have weakened as German Chancellor Angela Merkel stepped down, Trudeau is on his way out, and political turbulence across Britain, France, and South Korea.
Protests against Donald Trump’s presidency in the West Village
A part of the reason why Trump was– and still is– able to gain so much authoritarian power is because we recognize time as moving quite slowly. We don’t always notice the subtle, gradual shifts happening around us. Change occurs so incrementally that it’s hard to realize in the moment. Instead, we only see its progression when we look back. This inability to perceive change in real-time has made Americans less proactive in maintaining the checks and balances that are the cornerstone of our democracy. Our minds tend to be preoccupied with other thoughts. As I’m sitting here writing this, I’m not thinking about how different the American government was one minute ago versus now. We tend to reflect on change in a larger time frame because it’s difficult to grasp in the day-to-day, which makes it harder to spur immediate political action.
Although we may not feel the flux on a daily basis, coming to terms with it can create significant anxiety (my Zoloft and I would know). Yes, a lot of us (especially here in New York) feel anxious about the direction of our country, knowing deep down that it’s too late to save. But anxiety about change can also provoke social questions. I want to shift to a new example and speak to how the thought of change can affect relationships, particularly in love. What if someone falls out of love? What if a person changes into someone we no longer recognize or can’t love anymore? Change is inevitable, and the ability to adapt is, I believe, what allows love to flourish. Take the movie La La Land, for example. Had Mia and Sebastian only been able to accept and acclimate to the unavoidable change of growing up and pursuing their careers, they might have saved their relationship. Instead, they recognized that they had both changed in ways that made their lives incompatible, and deemed their love not worth fighting for. By acknowledging this, Mia and Sebastian were both able to find love in more suitable forms for them– whether it was Mia with her new husband or Sebastian with his music. The proactive recognition of change is what allows for us to live our happiest and healthiest lives.
For me, love is a choice. Despite change, I can always choose where to place my love and energy. It’s in our own judgment and self-value to choose the right love for ourselves.
My choice of love hehe :)
Heraclitus’s timeless (ironically) philosophy that everything is in a constant state of change rings true across all aspects of life, from politics to love. The way Donald Trump’s political power has shifted, or the way we can look back on our own lives and see how far we’ve come, shows that change is always happening, even if we don’t always notice it in the moment. Time moves so slowly that we don’t see the gradual shifts until they’ve already happened, which can make us complacent. But change is inevitable, and it’s only by recognizing it that we can make sense of the world around us and adapt to it. Whether it’s in our government or our relationships, accepting change is what allows us to grow and find happiness. So, even when change feels overwhelming or hard to grasp, it’s important to remember that it’s a constant part of life, and it’s through accepting that flux that we’re able to thrive.
