In any person’s life, there are critical moments, called bifurcation points, which open up a person’s choice of further movement in life. Simultaneously, small causes can have significant consequences, and vice versa; efforts can bring results or be wholly fruitless and even damaging. It is when a person chooses his path from several possible ways. At such moments, it is decided what the future life of a person will be. These include graduation from school, graduation from college, or marriage since a person’s future fate depends on the choice of an educational institution, place of work, wife, or husband. Thus, many life events impact our way of thinking and behavior and even can affect the future.
Each person has a different reaction to a particular event since perception largely depends on the characteristics of the perceiving subject. Perception depends on a persons’ inner world, needs, values, attitudes, and psychological aspects, which determines the uniqueness and emotional coloring of a reaction to an event. For some, such a turning point was a meeting with an extraordinary or, conversely, the most ordinary person. And for some, this is a trip to another country or just a simple purchase of the most straightforward thing or a short walk in the park. Each person is a unique world with its characteristics and reactions to what is happening.
Among the events that change the habitual way of thinking, a unique role is played by traumatic events, the result of which is mental trauma. The most important such event that influenced my life is the death of a loved one. On the one hand, there were severe feelings about the loss, but an equally important aspect was the awareness of the value and transience of life. At that moment, the understanding came that life can end in a split second. Now I understand that you need to maintain a clean and calm mind even in difficult life circumstances. To experience all the troubles that occur, as if being involved in the process, but in fact, on a different level, to be detached from all this, with a deep understanding that this is all just for a new experience. It is essential to enjoy every moment, even the most insignificant little things because it is from them that life consists. Thus, thanks to the loss of dear people, I learned to enjoy every day and value life.
One of the most critical moments in life is failures and mistakes. It often happens that after such situations, people fall into despair and do nothing. Simultaneously, there are strong people for whom failure serves as an incentive to achieve success. Failures can have different consequences for a person’s life. On the one hand, failure is an opportunity to hone your skills, a way of emotional and mental development, and a means of mastering new information. On the other hand, setbacks can cause severe emotional distress, nervous breakdowns, and depression. In my opinion, to succeed, a person will have to take risks, make mistakes, change and fail. In my life, I am guided by the principle: “Failures make us stronger.” I try to make more efforts to achieve success, look at the problem from a different angle, look for alternative ways, and thus gain new life experience, thanks to which I become more resilient and wiser. Therefore, everyone perceives failure differently, but it is evident that these situations bring both positive and negative changes in a person’s life.
Not only traumatic but also positive events affect a person’s future. My habitual worldview changed radically after the appearance of a significant other in my life. Love is a great feeling that can change a person. Thousands of literary works prove that it can reveal the best human hypostases. However, not only literature proves this; the main proof is life. Love inspires people for noble deeds, self-realization in society, achieving success, and even feats. Although love can also give pain, it is beautiful because it makes a person look at his life differently. Strong emotions awaken our best character traits and cause us to show extraordinary ability. I got rid of many complexes, began to pay more attention to appearance and health, and learned to care, show attention, and willingness to help. Love inspires me and makes me do significant actions. Thus, the appearance of a loved one forever turned my life upside down.
A striking example of how the appearance of love in a person’s life changes his way of thinking and acting is the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince. Having come to Earth, the main character understood how he loved Rosa, realized how much she loved him, and how much she needed his care. He learned what friendship and responsibility are, and his horizons and the emotional range expanded. He began to appreciate what he had, and with renewed vigor, began to rethink life.
Therefore, life is a stream of many events and meetings, most of which do not remain in memory. But some can abruptly turn the whole stream by the force of their influence and change a person’s worldview. People under the influence of any events are constantly changing, although they do not always notice it. Life changes can make persons happier or sadder, empowering them with wisdom or make them feel disappointed in themselves. It all depends on whether the person is ready for change. In any case, each person is influenced by life events that have both positive and negative consequences.