For thousands of years philosophers have puzzled over the truths and perspectives found intertwined within the fabric of the universe. For years, intelligent men and women have poured countless hours into twisting mind teasers that quip with the very understanding of reality. One of these philosophies that has been on my mind recently as an Oregon FFA State Officer is the question brought up by the story of Theseus’s Ship.
In ancient Greece there was a great hero named Theseus who would sail across the oceans on a pilgrimage in tribute to the Greek god Apollo. Even after Theseus’s death the great town of Athens honored his valiant efforts by making the same voyage every year with the same ship. Over the years, the ship would get damaged and be replaced with new parts and pieces. This tradition continued for so long that philosophers posed the question “Is an object that has had all its components gradually replaced still fundamentally the same object?” In essence, if every single piece of Theseus’s Ship is replaced over time, is it still the same ship? I would like to invite a shift in perspective and consider what this question would look like if we considered ourselves as this ship.
From the moment we were elected as State Officers we have been stripped of our old, broken parts and replaced by shiny new ones. Every training, practice, and interaction, good or bad, has been a trip to the auto shop to have another part, however insignificant, taken out and replaced. Just as philosophers of old questioned if Theseus’s Ship remained the same, I question whether I am the same person that was elected 6 months ago. Not to mention if I will be the same person in 2 years. 5 years? 10 years? I love who I am, I don’t want to let that go.
These daunting thoughts swirled in my head over and over again. So many things in my life are changing! Let’s remain on the analogy of Theseus’s Ship representing life. Not only are new parts being replaced with old ones, new strengths, skills, talents, habits, beliefs, perspectives, but the people aboard my ship are constantly coming and going as well. Besides a select few honored employees the crew aboard my ship, the people I surround myself with, is continuously shuffling. Even the towns we stay in, the beds I sleep in, are different almost every single night. I used to believe that my course would not change in life, that I was always destined to sail in the same direction, but I am constantly readjusting my compass and turning my wheel to point myself in what I believe to be true North. But there are two things that never change no matter how far the rudder turns, how different the hull looks or what new group of crewmembers occupy your life. Our history and experiences never change. No one can take away the miles you have traveled, the ports you have docked on and the battles you have fought. Then there’s the captain, the person at the helm, making all the decisions. You. We get to decide which way we go, who we bring aboard, which parts we replace and everything that goes on in our lives under our control. Yes, some people may come and take the wheel or we may willingly hand it over but we are always in a position to take it back. If you don’t like where you’re going, change it! If you don’t like those aboard, kick them off! If you want a new rudder or sail, buy one! It’s up to you.
I don’t think it’s up for debate whether I am the same person that was elected in March. I’m not. I’ve had plenty of new parts, new people, and lots of direction changes and I have chosen all of it. What demands our focus is not whether or not I have remained the same, no one does, but rather whether our change was positive. If we are choosing to chart a truer north, have a greater crew, and better vessel, while holding fast to our history and our agency then we have adopted the correct mindset about change. We must use it as a tool and opportunity, to become better even if it means saying goodbye to a part of ourselves that is still stuck on the dock. Theseus’s Ship was meant to travel the seven seas, not to sit in a museum collecting dust. I love who I am, but I want to become better, piece by piece!
~ Spencer Romans, State Vice President