The joy of transformation

Rejoice: it is the season of transformation.

Why be joyful? Ask the trees this question, and they will respond with blossoms. Ask the birds, and they will reply with song. Ask the campus, and it will answer by sprouting sunbathers in every quad. Spring, a time of transformation, is here.

The in-betweenness of spring is exciting. A threshold, it marks the beginning of something new. Nature is transforming herself: casting off wintry laundry and donning clean, new clothes. We trade snowshoes for sneakers, scarves for sundresses.

But transformations are not limited to the natural world. We need constant personal transformation, or else we risk spiritual death by the familiar.

Transformations don’t just happen; they require energy, a push forward. The energy of the sun itself triggers spring.

Personal transformations get their forward momentum from open spaces, gaps in which we yearn for something new. The gap between satisfaction with a current state and the desire for freshness creates a drive to fill that space with new life.

Transformations also need a physical removal, in time and space. Daily routine doesn’t schedule in time for transformation: “shower, shave, spiritual renewal, eat breakfast.”

Where do we go to be transformed?

College is one of those places. Sitting in between the naive wasteland of adolescence and the looming “real world,” college is almost by definition a site of transformation.

In particular, it should be a time when we dare to ask hard questions about what were taught as children and either reclaim or reject those things.

Are your parents liberal or conservative? In either case, what do you call yourself? Is it the same as them by default or by choice?

Sometimes, though, we must also get away from college to be transformed. The daily teeth-grinding we do to keep up studies and appearances is exhausting and prevents the sort of contemplative work necessary for serious change. Getting away, whether to an organized retreat or just for a walk, helps create that silent space that is the beginning of transformation.

Two weekends ago was Easter Sunday. If you celebrated that holiday, I ask you: why?

Were you there because your mom called to nag? Did you show up to church because that’s “just what you’re supposed to do on Easter?”

Or were you there to be transformed?

Easter is the season of rebirth and transformation. After all, it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Easter isn’t over yet: it continues through the end of May. It is an entire season, the true season of joy. For everyone, but especially those for whom this season is part of the tradition you know, this is an opportunity to make space for something new. Now is the time to let some joy seep into the in-between places, the silent gaps.

In the midst of spring, Earth provides constant reminders of natural transformation, and spring is a great time for our own new beginnings.


E-mail: brownjoh@indiana.edu