Think of how many troubles you cause yourself by wanting things to stay the same. People cling to idealized notions of the past and future on all sides of debate and discussion, both internally and externally. The secret is that all of this clinging to ideas is false. Every time you idealize the past or future, you neglect the present. Within the present is all there is, the solution to every concern, the perfect infinitude of balance.
Similarly, every time you cling to concepts, you deny reality. Concepts exist below reality, as shallow interpretations of that which cannot be conveyed. True reality is inconceivable. This is why we try so hard to pin it down. Lo and behold, there will be no pinning down of reality! And that’s okay.
You need not try to force change because it’s the only way. Every moment is a brief glimpse of flux from one state to another. You are in a perpetual state of transition from this to that, that to this. When you exist within this balance and understand yourself to be a reflection of the universe rather than an agent of alteration within it, you find an endless reservoir of peace. People who have had near death experiences report this sort of sudden realization of the confluence of moments, the deep nature of awareness. Without the burden of thought or judgment, and without the clinging to life that scares us away from life itself, you find clarity of mind.
Every moment is a different form of adaptation. People consider some days good and others bad. While you’re at a wedding, someone else is at a funeral, and vice-versa. This is so obvious that we forget it all day every day. Each moment is a blessing with the proper point of view.
Expectations vary based on knowledge and disappointments and victories vary based on expectations. The relationship between what we think will happen and what happens is always tenuous, always being brought into question. Despite this, people foolishly try to plan exactly what will happen. This provides a certain illusion of security.
The truth of the matter is that there’s no security. Your life could flip itself upside down at any moment, and guess what? It’s still your life. Through all external changes, you continue to exist for the duration of your life. Better to cultivate the skills needed to adapt to change and chaos rather than taking refuge in the false security of ignorance or idealizing non-reality.
Sheetal Tadiparty
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