Nothing ever stays the same forever. Some trees on Earth have been here for generations upon generations, but at one point, those huge redwoods were just seeds. Society hasn’t always been what it is now; at one point, people were foolish enough to think the Earth was at the center of the universe or that cigarettes were beneficial for our health. But from that point, from that tiny, small, insignificant little seed, society and the world grew into this massive redwood you see all around you.

I used to think that the evolution of the world and society was only positive. There was only “good growth”. But after pondering what exactly the world has been growing into, my beliefs have changed. There are some branches that need to be pruned. Some sickly leaves that need to be plucked.

As Kunstler mentioned in his TED Talk, our suburbs are in tragedy. They’re losing their purpose and becoming wasted space. A shell of its former self. We have buildings going to waste, and instead of repurposing them or solving the issues that made them redundant, we cover them up with “nature band-aids” and a fresh new paint job and call the problem a solution.

When I heard our marching band was growing to 60 people in size (Now more than 200 people), colorguard has 40 members alone, and we have almost 70 freshmen, I originally thought that meant we’re going from being spectacular to something beyond that. I honestly thought that with this influx of new people, it not only would cover for the seniors who graduated, but also add to the already insane number of feats that the band had done. I was wrong.

Respectfully, I personally think that the beginning of the season was rough. Our seniors agreed; it was genuinely astonishing how much it felt like we had been gutted as a band. We had grown in size, but it felt like overall, our effort, ethic, and dedication had shrunk. We can see this phenomenon in other places too, including, bizarrely enough, Sesame Street. Roman Mars, from 99% Invisible, is quoted as saying, “If a neighborhood only has new buildings, the cost drives out diversity of businesses and people who can afford to stay there.” The “growth” of new buildings was entirely counterintuitive and textbook gentrification and displacement. The exact opposite of what the architects and city planners had in mind happened. The idea that to grow, we have to constantly expand literally, bring in new things, and replace things that aren’t considered the latest version is a real problem that we’re facing in society today.

Not only are we attempting to replace buildings and spaces that are key in our culture, things that bring meaning to who we are or places that let us express ourselves, but we’re also doing that to ourselves as a society. We’re replacing old people with younger people, which is something that we can’t control, but we can be honest with ourselves and stop lying to ourselves when we call it growth.

Eventually, things do have to change; that’s like the definition of life, but we need to start being honest with ourselves and stop being blinded by the idea that new things will always equal better. Sometimes, a fresh point of view is refreshing and new insights can lead to positive growth, but sometimes, one of your best friends graduates, and replacing them is someone nothing like them at all.