Well begun is half done (?)

“Well begun is half done” said Plato and since then, the concept of beginning plays a vital role in everyone’s lives as a focal starting point which foreshadows the whole journey ahead. But what does begun and done actually mean in somebody’s life?
 
Typically, most people believe that the “beginning” is unique and refers to the moment of one’s birth and that the rest of their life is “what is done”, which is completely dependent on the “beginning” and moves in a constant orbit around it. In reality, though, everything is a beginning. Everything in someone’s life is small or big starts which give a different meaning to their existence. A new acquaintance, starting a new job, moving in a new house or even waking up every morning constitute what we call beginning, while a series of beginnings make up “life”.
 
Nowadays, the concept of “beginning” has been idolized to a great extent, precisely because it is presented as something that is enjoyed solely by those who have had an intense and often difficult experience and feel the need to start all over again. The key, however, is the disenchantment with restarting and the realization that opportunities for a new start appear on a daily basis, so that we can improve ourselves and our everyday life.
 
Through my conversations with young people, regarding the concepts of restarting and being reborn, I heard interesting opinions in relation to the issue discussed:
 

Mona

 
“Every September, when the academic year starts, I feel like I am making a new start. Maybe through the process of regeneration, you redefine your goals and priorities and you become more productive in comparison to the previous stagnation you found yourself in. I don’t know, however, to what extent this is possible, since life flows in a linear way and many different things, which are not always under our control, happen simultaneously.”
 

Alexandra

 
“I had the feeling of restarting when university and student life began. While you are in school, you are in a safe environment with a steady equilibrium and a set group of friends. When you enter university, a process of adaptation to a new environment and possibly of redefining yourself begins, because you are called upon to meet new people and make new friends, who know nothing about you. Hence, we all start from zero. Personally, in university, I started being more sociable and not so shy, which resulted in me opening up to people and new relationships more easily, which did not happen before.”
 
“I believe that ‘regeneration’ is mainly psychological and not so practical. You don’t change, but what changes is the way you see and handle things. Maybe it is just an excuse to clarify situations and set new goals which will be more clearly visible in the horizon and hence, you will have a better motive to achieve them.”
 

Antegone

 
“Recently, I made a new radical change in my life. It was made in view of my own good and my genuine desires in life, which resulted in the success of this new start. I have to admit that, at the beginning, it was scary and quite difficult, as it took me out of what we call ‘comfort zone’. However, it had me make decisions and have new and valuable experiences, which, under other circumstances, I wouldn’t have the chance to experience.”
 
For each one of us, there is a different starting point, a point at which one decides for themselves to break the mold in which they had learnt to live and to shape from scratch something new and more comfortable. What is certain is that this mold breaks many times in the course of our lives and, even though we momentarily view it as a failure, in the long run, it is proven that this process is particularly invigorating and beneficial for whoever chooses to follow through with it. Besides, I am convinced that, if I repeat the same question to the same peoplein a few years, they will have a new story of personal restart to narrate. Let’s make peace then with new beginnings and let’s be proud of the fact that, instead of staying stagnant,we reset to zero and begin all over again.
 

Translation: Asimenia Chliara

Review: Niki Saridaki

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