Paulsen

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Eli Paulsen
Period 3
HELA 10
January 13, 2016
Fear of Change
People often fear change, because they dont know what will be
in store for them. Sometimes, people go to extreme measures to
prevent change from happening at all. While change can be an
intimidating and fearful thing such as: losing a job, getting in a car
accident, the loss or death of a loved one, or moving to a new school,
change can also be a good thing associated with happiness such as:
meeting a new friend, finding a new song or singer that inspires you,
getting a pay raise, or trying a new hobby. In many cases change is
associated more with negative emotions, so people naturally shy away
from the thought of changing things, or even having things change
around them. I think that change is something that is a positive thing
that happens to us, and that people should not fear change.
We as people dont like change, because we feel very
comfortable where we are in life, and we dont like the possibility of
losing our comfort. We dont like the idea of change even if it might be
a change for the better, because the consequences of taking the leap
of faith might not always reap the benefits or rewards that we thought
were in store. For example, if someone decides to move to a new

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house, once they get there, they may discover something wrong with
the heating or plumbing, or maybe that the wood in their walls has
been rotting for years. Even if the new house is in a better location or it
is bigger and more luxurious. Even after seeing and hearing a myriad
of success stories, people are still hesitant, because what if they are
the one that does not turn out alright in the end. The book Running for
my Life talks about how a boy that was taken from a village in South
Sudan in 1991, to be trained as a soldier for the rebel army. It talks
about his escape, and how he eventually made his way to the United
States, and became an Olympic runner. It says, If I had [known I was
never going back], my leaving would have been very different But I
knew I had to go. If for nothing else than to find a job, Earn money, and
send it back to support my family stuck in Kakuma. (Lomong 71).
When Joseph Lomong first left Africa, he wasnt sure about leaving
behind his family, but once he decided to take the leap of faith and to
leave for America, then he had a very different life and ultimately,
ended up running for the USA in the 2008 Olympic games, and being
the flag-bearer of the USA. Lomong is a great example of being willing
to embrace change and all that happened to come with it, and he used
all of his struggles and talents that he had before, in order to make his
changes better than how things were for him before.
Another reason why change is widely feared is because people
have very pessimistic views on things. The article Why Your Attitude is

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Everything by Keith Harrell comments, I generally start my workshops
and seminars by asking a fundamental question: What attitude did you
bring into this meeting? In my opinion, this question can be used in
any situation that you want to make a more positive experience. This
applies a lot as people change things in their lives such as schools,
jobs, and their places of residence. Whenever someone immediately
starts doing something new or out of his or her comfort zone, one of
the main things that decide how they feel about the new activity or
action afterward, is his or her attitude that they have going into it. If
someone is really negative when they do something new for the first
time, then they will often associate those sad and bitter feelings with
that activity or event, and they will remember it as not being
enjoyable. Harrell also says, We all have a choice Its a power we all
have. Each of us encounters hard times, hurt feelings, heartache, and
physical and emotional pain. The key is to realize its not what happens
to you that matters; its how you choose to respond. When we
respond to difficult and uncomfortable changes in our lives, we
shouldnt let those thoughts overpower our judgment next time we
gain the opportunity to create change again. If you can choose to
respond positively to things that dont turn out well, and find the silver
lining, then not only will you be a more enjoyable person to be around,
but you will also be a much happier person, even when change strikes
and tragedy happens.

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Other people might argue that change is a bad thing, because
you can never know the outcome of your efforts, therefore the results
are always going to be a gamble. But I say that change is like the
weather. We often like changes in the weather, as long as we can
predict them first. If we have a weeks warning about a snowstorm, we
all love it and decide to go skiing or have fun in the snow. However, if
we get nine inches of snow out of the blue, without any preparation for
it, half the people dont come to school, buildings get shut down,
people can get trapped in it and die, and it is a really big problem to
handle for the people in charge of things like schools and snow
removal. Also, change doesnt have to be a gamble. If you work hard
enough at something and have enough drive, you can make the best
out of any situation. The book Running for my Life also says,
Days turned into weeks, but they [his parents] never
walked through the gates. Why dont they come? I asked over
and over to anyone who would listen during my first weeks in
camp. Tears flowed. If they are looking for me, why cant they
find me?
You cant think like that, Lopepe, a friend finally answered.
I tried to look away and ignore him, but he got right in my face
This is the life you now have. You must accept it and go
forward You can do this, my friend. I know you can. You are
strong. My friend patted me on the back and left to go play

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soccer. I sat and stared at the rocking boy for a very long time.
There were others like him in Kakuma, boys who cried for home
day and night. Eventually, malaria always got these boys. I did
not want to suffer such a fate. The rocking boy looked over at
me, his eyes filled with sadness. What will it be, Lopepe? I asked
myself. The answer was easy. I jumped up, ran out of the tent,
and chased after my friend to the soccer field. My homesickness
did not immediately stop. But it changed. The moment I ran over
to the soccer field, I knew my parents were never going to come
and rescue me. I would not see my home again. (Lomong 44)
Lopepe was a Lost Boy in the middle of South Sudan while they were in
the middle of a civil war. Even with all of his trials, he still picked up his
head, realized that his parents had forsaken him, and then he went to
have fun and play soccer.
We also shouldnt fear change because that is the only way that
we can grow, if we go through changes, like failure and success.
Change would not help us gain experience, if we only had success or if
we only had failure. A tree thats always in the sun, or a tree that is
always getting rained on, dies. It is only the trees that are blown
around in the wind, in the blazing sun, and are in the drenching rains,
that can become the strongest. If the trees do not go through any
trials, then they dont become fortified, so when the heat and the rain
and the winds come, it is consumed. The article Teenage Cancer

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Survivor who Lost her Hair Urges Young People to get Checked out
After Getting the All-Clear talks about cancer survivor Megan Carr. The
article says, The fashion-conscious teen was devastated to start her
life-changing chemotherapy as it meant she would lose her long hair.
But when she finished the course in September, brave Megan said she
was still the same person despite losing her locks. (Haworth). After
overcoming her cancer, Megan said, Im so proud to part of Cancer
Research UKs Right Now campaign. Cancer has been life changing for
me in so many ways It shows I can still be bright and bubbly even
though Im going through cancer. (Haworth). Even though Megan had
cancer, and had every moment to fear the changes that might show
because of it, she still got through it all and was made a stronger and
better person because of it.
Overall, change is nothing that we should fear. We might not like
the thought of fear at first, but if we move through it with a good
attitude and a strong mind, then the changes and trials that we go
through in our lives will work together to make us better people than
we would have been before.

Works Cited
Lomong, Lopez. Running for My Life. Trans. Mark Tabb. Thomas Nelson,
2012. 44, 71. Print.

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Harrell, Keith. "Why Your Attitude Is Everything." Success 9 Mar. 2009.
Print.

Haworth, Jessica. "Teenage Cancer Survivor Who Lost Her Hair Urges
Young People to Get Checked out After Getting the All-Clear." Mirror 13
Jan. 2016. Web.