We Are All Meant to Grow

We are all meant to grow.

When we look at the natural world around us, especially the greenery, one thing that it teaches us is that growing is an inevitable process. When a seed is planted, it is meant to grow. When a baby is born into the world, it is meant to grow. When some thing is started, it is meant to grow. Growth may be stopped or stunted or refused. But it doesn’t mean that growth won’t and can’t happen.

In this sense, it can be put that growth is an instinct imbued in each one of us when we came into this world. An instinct, as defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a natural or inherent aptitude, impulse, or capacity” of a person. So, when we say that humans have an instinct for growth then that means people have the natural ability or desire to grow. Growing is part of our being and growth is a natural progression of life.

Looking back when we were growing up, our parents did not really instructed us to grow per se. They did not tell us that, as babies, we should grow up. Growing up in the context of developing our skills to eat, walk, talk, and care for ourselves, is pretty much something expected from us as children and our parents or primary caregivers are there only to guide us through the growing process. Whether or not we had someone to guide us, we would grow anyway. Growing is just something we naturally do. And as we walk through our life path, our instinct to grow remains with us. We move on to the next chapters of our lives – from being babies to becoming toddlers then schoolchildren then adolescents then working people and so on. In a sense, we don’t really stop growing. Growing is a natural progression.

Aside from skills and our physical structure, we also grow emotionally and spiritually along the way. We learn to subscribe to a certain belief system and adapt certain family and societal norms. As we move from each chapter in our lives, our belief systems and our response to norms grow with us, and at a certain point can even begin to evolve. While growing and evolving might seem similar in the sense that both invite us to increase in capacity or identity, evolving considers the role of meaningful change in the process. Meaningful change is when change is intentional and aims to improve the life of a being. Growing is inherent in our being and evolving is essential for our survival.

And as we look at both growth and evolution, there’s another important thing that comes with it – the need for movement. When we are expected to grow, then we should also expect ourselves to move. When a plant grows, it does not shy from extending its branches and deepening its roots. I haven’t seen anything that grows which did not exhibit any kind of movement. And when movement is halted, nothing will do well. Just like when a river’s flow is stopped, its water will stagnate. Or when the earth’s rotation is stunted, major shifts will occur. And when our own personal growth is stunted or stopped, it is a normal reaction for us to feel stuck, to feel unmotivated, to feel lost, or sometimes feel complacent.

Growth and movement are our calling. These two are part of our being. And so, we should honor their presence by allowing ourselves to grow and move, no matter the rate, no matter the environment. We deserve to grow. And by heeding this call, we allow ourselves to serve our higher purpose.

We are all meant to grow. And that includes you.