Have you accepted impermanence?

[Scholar]

I am a person who is very much driven by purpose and meaning, making an impact in the world. Doing something that is lasting, that matters. This central to my life.

The problem is that the realization of impermanence, beyond a mere intectual realization, is pulling the rug from underneath that foundational pillar. The realization that death will come, and that all things I relate to, I connect to, I love and cherish, I create and work on, all of them will dissolve, dissipate. 

Life is about connection, love. But this love and connection creates attachment. But all of this will be lost, to such a degree that one day I will even lose myself. All the memories I have will be gone, and I will never again experience them. My friends and family, my art and knowledge, it will simply no longer be.

 

How have you guys truly accepted this? And have you accepted it in the first place? Have you been truly confronted with impermanence, through death and loss of that which you are most connected to?

[PurpleTree]

Who would accept it?

 

[Princess Arabia]

Very nice and thought-provoking post. I sometimes wonder why is it that most people don't really speak on this. I see us acting as if we are going to be here forever. Since my mom's passing I see death differently, I keep asking, "where did she go". I've had so many loss of "things" in my life that I am naturally detached to most. I very rarely cling to anything. Yes, life goes on and we cherish and love things; but for the most part, I see 'things" as recyclable. I have no problems throwing stuff away.  Infact, i'm  the opposite of a hoarder; so much so, it's problematic. I've seen things come and go so much that it's hard for me to even attach. Only like certain things that I use on a daily basis like my computer and phone and internet service - stuff like that. My cat also, but even her I tell myself if I was to lose her, I'd be ok. That's a coping mechanism though as my cat is my most cherished possession.

I have learnt, however, to see life as me passing through and having a pit-stop. To see it all as just an experience and that who I am is much greater than all this. If the opposite is true where I am nothing but a piece of dirt then so be it too.

The only thing I'm attached to is awe and wonder. The awe and wonder of this beauty called life and where did it come from. The colors, the shapes, the sounds, the touch, the sights, the feelings, the emotions, the sadness, the joy and everything else in between, where did it all come from and what exactly is it. That's what I'm attached to. It brings tears to my eyes and gives me goosebumps when I think about it in depth and sit and just feel all the love. Nothing compares to that. Your attachments are just symbols of this One Love that permeates the entirety of existence, which is you, so really there is no real loss and anything you believe you've lost was never really there to begin with and had no existence apart from you, so there are really no losses, as they were never separate from you. 

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 04:34 AM by Princess Arabia

[Hojo]

Its not about connection its about being able to connect. Impermanence is being able to connect permanence is connection. Can you belong everywhere? Can you abandon your strategy for survival and immediately gain your opponents strategy against yourself?

Edited Sunday at 05:21 AM by Hojo

[TheGod]

To be able to accept impermanence you need to see the price you’d have to pay for not accepting it. On the other hand, you'd need to give up on a lot of things in life which takes wisdom. If you don’t accept it you’ll suffer. Impermanence is freedom.

[Hojo]

@TheGod When you see the price to pay becomes zero, unless you do not see and the jump is the price. Cause you dont know! WOW What a scary concept! Its like jumping into a rock bed hoping you'll survive !

Edited Sunday at 05:44 AM by Hojo

[Flowerfaeiry]

Honestly no. It’s very freaky to me to think that everybody alive now will literally be gone in the next 100 or so years. I mean our lives are a blip in the echoes of eternity. I think about it all the time at this stage in my life and it does actually help me create action. Since this is the only life I have and I don’t know when it will be over or what happens next I do try to live to the fullest. It’s not that easy and there’s a lot of twists and turns to get there but this impermanence really does drive me. 
 

I still don’t accept it but I do try. 

[Hojo]

@Flowerfaeiry Every morning you wake up you died last night and God gave you another chance thats it.

Edited Sunday at 05:56 AM by Hojo

[Flowerfaeiry]

@Hojo does that happen during the REM cycles? Haha just kidding

[Hojo]

@Flowerfaeiry No its completely random. You think you slept and entered a dream then stopped the dream to enter your life anew. You are always dreaming.

[Flowerfaeiry]

Well it’s a nice way to look at things but it’s not technically true

[aasiyah]

yes i can't wait to die!

[Hojo]

@Flowerfaeiry The only reason you think you arent dreaming is cause you keep checking. Open to insanity. Can you trust yourself?

Edited Sunday at 06:37 AM by Hojo

[Flowerfaeiry]

I wasn’t talking about the dreaming part. 

[Hojo]

@Flowerfaeiry You are dream.

[aasiyah]

woah.... when i think about dreaming its liek... kinda crazy

[Flowerfaeiry]

@Hojo 👍🏻 

[aasiyah]

almost as if im tipping to look outside the box but not quite.

[aasiyah]

i waste a lot of time

[aasiyah]

And yet I still fear things.. it's crazy to have fear when you know life is short and everyone will be dead one day