The Changing Tao

“Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Lately I’ve been noticing evolution, and how the greatest necessity in evolution is the absolute need for the entire universe to stay in a constant state of flux and change. That means there’s much that just plain happens with no rhyme or reason. Life happens. The good and bad news is things change. The bittersweet moments keep rolling. For me the point isn’t whether I want to experience what comes up, the point is to accept it did, see what needs to be done in this moment, do the very best I am capable of at the time, and then watch it fade. Those momentary glimpses into the contrail of life slowly dissipating as I move through time. I call life’s experience bittersweet, this experience one moment and this other the next. How much drama do I want to apply to each thing that rises, only to be replaced by the next thing? Or, put another way, how much do I want to pretend that anything that happens is permanent? If things were permanent I would definitely feel overwhelmed all the time. But nothing is, the crisis of the moment will fade, the happiness of the moment will fade, all to be replaced with the next thing my attention is focused upon. I find this idea calming, and it eases the stress when life crashes.

There is an ancient Persian adage, “This too shall pass,” that a mentor used to express when I was a child. It took a long time for me to understand the incredible depth and simplicity of that statement. A simple thing to remember but oh so hard when caught up in permanence.

We keep going through the waves of life, always here, always trusting that this too shall pass.

Embrace this week and live on purpose.

Bryan Wagner