Whether as a remark, statement, or headline, I’ve always found this to be an odd one.
The phrase denotes tragedy, and tragic events generally aren’t anything to snicker at.
But when people say, “it will never be the same,” I wonder what they mean.
I wonder because change is the only real constant. The only guarantee we have is that things will change.
Of course, we all resist change now and again. No one wants to lose a loved one, or to become paralyzed, or to fall ill. There are undesirable changes.
But on a granular level, you’ve already changed. You aren’t the same person today as you were yesterday. Cells are dying and replenishing constantly. You will never be the same, no matter how hard you may try to recover what you used to be.
Every day, things are transforming. There are many things that will never be the same. You may only notice miniscule changes most of the time, major ones occasionally. But today isn’t the same as yesterday. It will never be the same.
You can count on life never being the same. You will wake up tomorrow, and it will never be the same as it was the day before.
Maybe that’s not a problem. Maybe it’s just the way it is.
Sure, we may want to hold onto the way things were. But change is not a malevolent force. It’s unpredictable, but it’s reliable.
Maybe we miss the changes that should be enjoyed and celebrated more. Maybe we focus too much on the changes we don’t like.
When we say “it will never be the same” we are telling the truth. But it’s as true now as it was yesterday, and it will be just as true tomorrow. So many things will change between today and tomorrow.
You’re right when you say, “it will never be the same.” But this is a constant, not an event.
Maybe we can lose the drama around “it will never be the same,” because you’re right, it never will be.
