Lydia's Essay 20

Lydia Schulz

Mr. H. Salsich

9 English

May 22, 2009

A Life Changing Occurance:

An Essay on a Passage, a Stone, and My Life

        Nothing is ever done the same way twice. Every occurrence is a unique and unmatched event, and because of this, we cannot afford to let them slip by. We must take full advantage of every opportunity and treat it as it deserves to be treated- important and irreplaceable. In a passage by Rainer Maria Rilke, in a flat garden stone, and in my own life, these slices of wisdom hold true.
        In this passage by Rainer Maria Rilke, two sentences in particular stood out. Rilke states that life is transformation, and “for this, he is in the right who encounters everything as something that will not return.” This means that we should take advantage of everything that comes our way- love it, learn it, experience it, appreciate it (tetracolon climax and asyndeton)- because you never know when something will disappear. We should make the most of the present before it slips away. In the beginning of this passage, Rilke says that “life is transformation,” and that all aspects of life change. Your very existence is constantly shifting and manipulating (FAST) itself into something different, whether it is for better or for worse. These alterations can easily go unnoticed, but they are nonetheless important. In his somewhat Buddhist philosophies, Rilke expresses many essential pieces of wisdom in life.
        Unlike life, a stone never changes. Stone is ancient; every stone you see has come from the monstrous rocks formed billions of years ago (loose sentence). The elements may erode this sturdy form into smaller boulders and rock, but the material itself is always the same. A piece of gravel you pick up from the ground may be millions of years old, but because of its unchanged appearance, you would never know. The same goes for this garden stone, and yet, it contradicts itself. Stone does change, breaking and crumbling and being compressed to form another stone(participle as sentence closer). It’s slate gray color telling the story of its past, this garden stone was cut to become something new, transforming it (appositive as sentence opener). The material itself never changes, but the stone is always changing (antithesis).
        In this passage, Rilke says that “he is in the right who encounters everything as something that will not return,” a philosophy I try to remember every day. One goal I have for myself is that I will be able to look back on my life without regrets. I know that this is difficult to accomplish and I will inevitably regret something, but I want to endeavor (FAST) to live every moment as if it were my last. I would like to look back on the messes I have gotten myself into and know that although they got me in trouble, they were worth it. Recently, I came to the realization that our class will never be a class again. Although this thought scares me, it has reminded me that our time together is limited and that we should appreciate every opportunity we get. We should make our last few weeks at Pine Point the best and take full advantage of each other’s company. Every time we remark on how we are sick of Pine Point, we should remember to appreciate it while it lasts, because we won’t get a second chance.
        You may never know how things might have been, but why wonder when you could experience it for yourself? If you take advantage of every situation, you will never be able to look back on your life with “what if’s.” These decisions can change everything, contributing to the swirling and stirring of the concoction that is our lives. Even something as simple as a garden stone has gone through the shifting process because, as Rilke states, “life is transformation.”