It was like any other summer day. Nothing unusual and nothing special. Until I received a phone call from my high school. Given that I had just graduated, I didn’t see that coming.
I had been recognized as the top student in the graduating class. I recall being shocked. It was good news but also surprising, unexpected news. A wave of happiness fell over me. I was having flashbacks: late night studying, countless cups of coffee, non-stop work. I was happy that my hard work was being recognized.
But this feeling did not last long.
30 seconds. That’s about it. I was happy but there was nothing else to it, you know?
Now that I look back, I think: wow, wasn’t that so temporary?
Not only were the feelings fleeting, but so was the experience. High school was over. And the more I thought about it, I realized everything has an end.
Just think about it. The good moments never last. The bad moments never last. Everything has an end. Even rocks decompose after millions and sometimes, billions of years. We all die one day too.
Relationships. Memories. Places. People.
All of it is temporary.
And just like how the good things are temporary, so is the bad.
Suffering. Anger. Grief. Mourning.
All of it is temporary.
I think this is why people say to live in the moment. But I wonder if you’re almost in denial then? It never feels like the moment is going to end when you’re present and mindful, right? Or maybe this is simply a way of coping with how life is temporary.
I wonder why we dwell so much on little things if eventually, they come to their end too. I guess it is hard to find purpose when everything around me seems to exist momentarily. And I suppose this is why we must make peace with the impermanence of life and make the most of it. I’m not sure but that would be my best guess.
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