The Impermanence of It All

Lately, I’ve been thinking a great deal about the meaning of life and the impermanent nature of it all. Observing how we do what we do, the struggles we put ourselves through, the drama, the pain and all of the suffering. I mean, when I look around, I see a lot of struggling each and every day— sometimes in my own life and often in the lives of others. It seems like, even though there is an abundance of immeasurable goodness in our lives, the prevalent theme seems to be this struggle to find balance, peace and happiness. And don't get me started on the universal theme of "having more equates into happiness". It doesn't because there really is no peace to be found in more as Dr. Wayne Dyer has pointed out in so many of his articles and books. “What is the meaning of it all? What is the purpose of life?” I asked silently in the privacy of my thoughts.

We ALL know how this game goes: the wanting for more never ends; and happiness will always (unless we intervene) appear to be just a reach away, in “some day” land, when we’ve finished this project or have reached that goal. We stride through life as if we will live forever. We treat time as a cheap commodity that we blindly waste. We become consumed by negativity. We hide behind victim stories. We get stuck in jobs and relationships that we dislike. We distract ourselves with the noise of media and other people’s opinions. We compete over beauty, status and owning stuff. We buy into the empty promises of cosmetics and luxury products— all of which are illusions fabricated by marketers.

Unable to forgive, we hold on to the pain and we blame people, things, and circumstances for our unhappiness. We surround ourselves with anxiety, stress and depression. Failing to recognize that these “dis-eases” and uncomfortable emotions are our soul’s way of saying, “Wake up! It’s time for a change, baby. This isn’t working.” We give up our dreams, our art, our purpose, and trade our lives in exchange for money so that we can make a living. While making money to sustain our needs is inevitable, in the making of a living we sometimes forget our unique gifts, we temporarily lose touch with the enormity of our inner being, and we distance ourselves from the confidence of our unique expressions and talents.

In a race to survive, we become mentally paralyzed— like a dove whose wings have been clipped and soon forgets that she can fly. It’s all so exhausting. It’s overwhelming. There’s no end to the madness of chasing. So many of us rush though life in this way, totally oblivious to the preciousness of whom we are and unaware of the beauty, wealth, abundance, love and opportunities that surround us. And before we know it, the sands of our hourglass run out, and we face the end of our brief existence on this planet— unfulfilled and regretful for all that we’ve missed. I know this may sound rather harsh, and it is. Viewing how we live in its blunt, naked candor can feel extremely rough around the edges. Truth stings. At the same time, we can use this emotionally charged observation to our advantage— to inspire us and to move us in such a way that we begin to think differently, love differently and perhaps even live differently...