There is a tendency in our culture to grasp strongly to the good, and to discard completely the bad. As if we can control our life to the utmost minute moment.
Everything can be run in an ideal fashion and we will strive forever for greatness. We will all be happy in the moment and that moment will last forever.
Unfortunately, it’s not like that. The good will come and go. The bad will come and go. And some people’s bad might be other people’s good. And vice versa.
It’s an endless stream of balance between the good and the bad. The light and the darkness. But, in times of distress, just know that even this moment will pass - for better or worse.
Knowing that things are not set in stone and foster a sense of acceptance of the world. To know that we are all just simple pop-ups in this vast universe. We will come and go. Our experiences will come and go.
And that’s for the best. I used to dream about being immortal. As if that were the ultimate achievement to aim for.
How often in our lives do we aim for things that we don’t have? And we feel that once we achieve that milestone, we will be as happy as a clam?
Maybe for a while we will be satisfied with this tangible achievement. But in a matter of hours, days, weeks, or months, we will be clamoring for the next milestone.
The next goal. The next attainment. The next tangible recognition for a job well done. This feeling of satisfaction, of achievement, will pass too.
I was ecstatic upon receiving the letter of acceptance from Cornell University back in the day. I thought I had made it in life. And the first few months at Cornell were absolute bliss.
I was on cloud-nine, feeling like I had everything I could possibly have in life. But as time went on at Cornell, that feeling of happiness diminished, and I was stuck in the mindset of attaining good grades.
Of passing tests. Of understanding complicated engineering concepts. Of getting that ideal job upon graduation.
That moment of bliss passed within a span of two months. And for a while, I was trying hard to catch that feeling back and hold it for all of eternity. Unfortunately, that feeling too shall pass.
And I am grateful for that. I am grateful to be able to experience that feeling of utter peace and bliss - before the pressures of academic achievement came wandering back into my life.
It’s for the best. Good times will come. Good times will go. Same for the bad times. And my four years at Cornell provided me with experiences of all kind. And all that have passed on.
Impermanence is for the best. To be out with the old and in with the fresh. Back in elementary school, when I thought about how awesome immortality would be, I didn’t quite have enough life experience.
Immortality is more of a curse than a blessing. The beauty in being a human being is in our fragility and vulnerability.
No one ever has their life together. There’s always the next worry around the corner. And that’s okay. We’re all in the same boat together.
Once we get past this coronavirus ordeal, I’m sure that we will have other worries to think about. Life will not return to the normal that we used to know. We will adapt and be flexible to the circumstances around us.
It’s important to realize that there will always be some type of problem or worry for anybody with a human mind. But the worries (just like the good times) will come and pass on.
Just let it in. Accept it. And wish it well when it goes out the door. Our cognitive capabilities are what make us who we are.
Forgive your mind for the worries that it creates. It is a beautiful tool and sometimes here and there, it will create illusory problems that are not even that significant.
Our health and our bodies? They will come and go as well. They too will pass on. But for now, the least we can do is appreciate what we have. Our achievements. Our health. Our blessings.
We can be grateful for this moment. Because this moment is all we will ever have. If the moment is good, be grateful for it. If it is bad, then see it as a learning opportunity.
Everything will pass - for better or worse - and that’s what makes like beautiful, right here right now.