I read an article about a concept called Impermanence, which in Buddhism means that nothing lasts forever as everything changes. At first, I found it difficult to comprehend because it scared me to think that every good thing that's happening to me may come to an end. In a contrasting thought, every bad thing that's happening to me may also change for the better, which is something that would please me. In essence, it boils down to our ability to accept change whether we like it or not; change will always happen. In some cases, change may happen quicker than what we wanted it to be and will appear as a random event that went beyond our control. While there are cases that we know will happen, we see it happening in front of us, and yet we just can't prevent it from happening.
Somehow, I remember a scene in Marvel's Dr. Strange where the Ancient One finally accepted her death and allowed destiny to fulfill the event. I remember the Ancient One said that she tried to prevent this event from taking place hence she lived for a long time but eventually it all comes down to this moment where she will perish.
Although I haven't fully grasped the concept of Impermanence, I feel that applying it to some aspects of my life has allowed me to be less stressed about it. Allowing myself to accept that someday certain aspects of my life will never be the same. It could change instantly while some would happen slowly.
I think that this concept will encourage us to live in the moment and not wait until everything is too late for us to appreciate. I have always tried to keep preparing for the future thus preventing me from enjoying the beautiful things that I should be appreciating now.
What if I change the way I see life? What if I take a moment to enjoy the bits and pieces of my life that truly matter instead of focusing on things that may perish before I can even reach a point in my life for me to enjoy it? Isn't it a waste of time and effort to build something that will make me regret it in the far future?
I also feel that the concept of Impermanence will allow us to feel less stress about the things in this modern life that put too much pressure on us. The cost of our lifestyle, for example, we all know that prices will always go up. We know it's going to happen no matter how hard we try to prevent it. All that we can do is to keep adjusting to it. To fight over it will only result in us being so stressed about it. How about living within our means or trying to find ways to earn more to support the way we live?
I had a chat with a friend previously where he brought up that life was better back then, that the cost of living was cheaper, and they were happier in the olden days too. I mean as much as I want to agree, there's nothing much that we can do other than adapt to the situation that modern times bring. If the other people has managed to adapt and live comfortably to the present times then somehow we can also make it happen with our current situation.
We can hope for the better since we still have the time and energy to make it happen. There's a way for us to change with the times as soon as we start accepting the moment and decide to adapt to it.
