Every person is capable of making independent decisions, causing humanity to be stuck in an infinite state of change. After going to bed, nobody can expect things to be the same by the time they wake up in the morning.
All 7.6 billion of us have different goals. Sometimes these goals conflict and sometimes they converge, but once an action is taken, it can never be reversed. The only choice we have is to press forward, continually making changes that keep the cycle going.
Change is a terrifying thing; it is impossible to know what the future holds. Moments quickly vanish away, while new ones are constantly being created. Memories are able to preserve moments for a short while, but even memories eventually crumble with age. Nothing can stop the emotionless consistency of time.
I’ve always considered myself to be a nostalgia junkie, creating deep connections with special moments, in a futile attempt to make them last. However, time always has had other plans. People change, decisions are made and inevitably I’ve come to accept the harsh conclusion that I’ll never be able to remember every meaningful moment that I’ve had. Luckily, I’ve always had a crutch to help me deal with the nature of reality and I swear it’s the only thing that’s kept me sane.
When sitting atop a mountain, staring off into the distance at the picturesque landscape before me, everything is right where I left it. Whenever I climb a peak to get a better view of the sunset, I can assume with absolute certainty that the sky will be full of specular shades of orange, red, and pink as the sun slowly recedes past the horizon. If I return to hike a mountain that I haven’t visited in years, I know that at the summit I’ll find the same intricate rock formation that perplexes me. Along the trail, if something hilariously unexpected happens, the rocks and trees around me at the time will always bring a smile to my face whenever I pass by them in the future.
Although time changes who I’ve hiked with in the past and who I anxiously await to hike with in the future, the mountains serve as a permanent memorial to those adventures, retaining precious moments down to their rocky cores.
Surrounded by immortal wilderness, I can allow the mountain’s breeze to uproot me from reality whenever I please. The breeze transports me beyond the limits of humanity, to a mindscape where all my memories live together in eternal bliss. For the few hours I am able to interact with them, I am at peace. Time has no effect on me here.
