Whether they belong to the family, to life, or to people in general, the roots constitute the invisible foundations that support them.
Many popular beliefs and sayings (for example: The fruit never falls far from the tree; Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots) are not, of course, to be taken literally, but they contain truths that it is good to accept. The roots are important because they form a solid base from which to start the journey toward ourselves.
Having solid roots is a reason for stability and security in relation to personal growth and the search for oneself.
The theme of roots is something existential for each human being who has an “elsewhere” at the beginning of his life story; when one’s existence began in another place, whether it is 10 km away or thousands, that beginning seems to make sense to define one’s identity.
Often, however, especially at a young age, we feel the indefinable desire to escape from what we are, from what surrounds us, the roots are perceived as ties that prevent our autonomous development, our “I” is in the exploratory phase, we are looking elsewhere for our own models of inspiration, captured by the curiosity to find out what alternatives we have towards the adult version of us.
Or, for the construction of one’s personal legend, one must necessarily face the removal from the maternal nest and the loneliness of the journey. This change requires a lot of determination and is by no means easy to achieve.
There are those who cannot stand static, or stability. These people feel that they must go further, in search of other purposes, of further dreams to be achieved. They are people who do not get along with routine. They rebel and advance on their path, leaving behind people, memories, happiness, and even sadness. A life with wings does not always offer true happiness, but it creates opportunities to seek its true essence.
People with roots are often described as conformists, as personalities who seek static as a synonym for security and stability. They remain there where there are no changes or unexpected events or novelties to deal with. Only routine and a serene calm in which to build a life in accordance with your values.
What is better? The static or the change?
The truth is that there is no answer to this question, it all depends on the circumstances. Vital moments in which we should choose whether to drop anchor or set sail for new routes, decisive moments in which we must use a lot of courage.
There are those who say that, ultimately, the path of existence turns out to be so tortuous and above all non-linear, revealing only at the end its own circular nature, in which growth and evolution in any case always require a return to one’s own origins. This would explain, for example, why elderly people often would like to return to their place of origin, where they were born, in order to close the circle in harmony.
Personally, I believe that appreciating our roots is a way to know ourselves, which can be very useful in achieving the goals we have set for ourselves. This is because knowing who we are can help us make a decision in difficult times.
What is really worth in this life is allowing yourself to try, experiment with maturity and wisdom by understanding that life is a constant change. We must be people ready to face all the tides that come and go: sometimes they bring us good things and others not so much.
The important thing is to allow ourselves to experience any emotion, with balance.
There comes a moment that we could call, in fact, of balance, in which we have made peace with the riots of youthful rebellion and we no longer need to feel safe in the stereotype of the adult we grew up with. It is in that moment that, thanks to the awareness of the strong bond with our roots, we are able to evolve and find our way.
Our path at that point will be neither of challenge nor of rejection nor of imitation. It will be our path, the one that will lead us to the discovery of ourselves, of our true “I”.
Comments are really appreciated!
Thank you for your support and for sharing your ponderings.
I love this article Aldo. It makes me think deeper.
The paragraph that stretched my mind the most is “There are those who cannot stand static, or stability. These people feel that they must go further, in search of other purposes, of further dreams to be achieved. They are people who do not get along with routine. They rebel and advance on their path, leaving behind people, memories, happiness, and even sadness. A life with wings does not always offer true happiness, but it creates opportunities to seek its true essence.”
This made me think. Are we dependent on our roots and till what age? Some roots go deep in the earth. Others stay “home” hardly spreading. the roots thicken and “fight” for a free space.
Same with the seeds that result. Some seeds have wings and fly away from home. Other seeds like dandelion get carried by the wind. Other seeds move away with the gelp of animals or water streams.
Which is beetr? I think we need both. The stability and the change. Change, have some stability and change again.