Nothing Is Permanent

The device you’re reading this on will end up in a landfill. The seat you’re sitting on will almost surely be disused and discarded within a century. What are the odds that your current home or office will still be standing in the year 3,000?

Nothing is permanent.

It’s weird to think about, but it’s also very useful.

It can be comforting. You know that difficulties may be resolved. Challenges may be overcome. States of lack and want can give way to abundance.

It can be cautionary. You know that honeymoons don’t last forever. Winning streaks come to an end. We will eventually have to wake from perfect dreams.

Finally, it can bless us with purpose and meaning. If we recognize that every object is in the process of decaying and every creature is in the process of dying, we know that the time to act is now. The time to live and love is right now.

Here are some suggestions based on my observations:

New ideas are often resisted, then enter the sphere of common sense, then are replaced and forgotten, and perhaps even ridiculed. Try not to let people’s ideas trouble you too much.

Arab oil will run dry. South African gold is almost gone. American ingenuity is being challenged and European dynasties are mere shells. Realize that power shifts and the world is constantly remaking itself.

Bones mend. Cuts heal. Aches and pains almost always resolve. Do not become fixated on physical discomforts, or they may become chronic.

Janku was once the fastest dog in the park

Your friends will die. Your family will die. You will die. You only have a limited amount of time with anyone you care about, including your dog. Don’t let them leave you with regrets.

Your creativity may fade. Your energy may dwindle. Your resources may not always be what they are today. Pursue your passions vigorously while you can.

The weather will be quite different in a month or two. Maybe even tomorrow. Do not complain about the heat or the cold or the rain or the snow. Or the humidity.

Home equity has made many people rich. The next financial cycle could take it away. Live within your means. Do not attach your self esteem to money or possessions.

It’s obvious that nothing is permanent, yet it’s hard to actually live like it is so.

We automatically see our beliefs, health, relationships, prosperity and the wider world on relatively fixed trajectories.

We imagine moving along the track to a better future, and get upset when it goes off the rails, even a bit.

But when we remember that tomorrow is never promised…

…we can see what a truly beautiful gift we have today.