Yesterday was a rough day. Life was giving me a hard go of it, and the day-to-day grind was starting to get the best of me. For every ounce of progress I made, it seemed a pound of problems were being added to my burdens.
Luckily, I found something I wrote a long time ago, scribbled on a tattered piece of paper in my desk drawer:
“Don’t live life like you’re trying to build sand castles too close to the shoreline. As you erect a turret, a wave comes along to obliterate your front gate. For every crenellation you chisel out, another wave begins to flood the moat you carefully constructed. No matter how fast you build, the waves gobble up your flimsy fortress. You retreat, and the tide brings the waves to you eventually. The waves keep coming, despite your best efforts.
Why are you still surprised by the waves? Why are you fooling yourself by trying to build a garrison that can never keep them at bay?
Forget imaginary castles.
Go play in the waves.”
This was a poem I had written once upon a time. Like a message from my past self, it was an idea that I sorely needed to be reminded of: impermanence.
Impermanence
Nothing lasts forever. Change is omnipresent in the universe. Nothing in the world can endure the natural forces that apply to all things. One day, the pyramids will crumble into the sand. The Great Wall of China will be little more than a pile of pebbles. Similarly, our social world is always in flux, with relationships beginning and ending unexpectedly. Life and death occur simultaneous and without friction, chugging along like two unlikely friends on a tandum bicycle. Everything changes eventually. Impermanence, paradoxically, is one of the few constants that we can count on.
Yet, humans have the audacity to rage against reality. Humans seem to believe that we should be given a free pass against the universal law of impermanence. Our world should be stable. It should be unchanging. It should stand still so that we don’t have to worry about the unknown.
But trying to stop the relentless force of impermanence is like trying to stop the waves of the ocean. It’s a fool’s errand.
Better to accept reality.
Better to expect the waves.
There is no fortress you can build, physical or psychological, that won’t crumble before the might of impermanence.
So, what are you waiting for?
Go play in the waves.
Please feel free to follow me.
Learn about the philosophy of Living And Dying By Your Own Sword
Read my opinion on Creating First And Asking Questions Later
Read my article on Vulnerability in Art
Check out my piece on What One Follower Is Worth On Steemit
Join the Steemit Bloggers Community Discord!
Animated Banner Created By @zord189Image Credits: main image created in Canva; fancy underline credit
Wonderfully expressed...a wise man you are...we want control over things we have no control over...better to see things as they truly are...acceptance is the key...I won't complain about today's snow storm...I'll build a snow man instead.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thank you @bobreedo. Yes, relinquishing the need for control is important. Once you do that, you can focus on controlling your thoughts and actions more effectively, arguably the only two things in your life that you can control.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
cheer up!!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Aw thanks hahaha. I am happy again! I forgot to mention that part I suppose ;)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
:D :D :D
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Brilliant post! This immediately reminded me of the Buddhist monks' colorful mandala. They spend hours working together to create intricate designs out of colored sand, then they wash it away soon after they finish. This is a reminder of the doctrine of impermanence, which they call "annica".
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Hey @poimenpost! I am big fan of secular Buddhism, so I definitely picked up on the principles surrounding impermanence from Buddhist philosophy. And yes! I have heard of that sand art that they immediately mess up. It is a very powerful metaphor. Thanks for commenting.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
This is excellent. Very captivating
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thanks for commenting @Vic-essien. Good to see you around again! I appreciate you dropping by my blog.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Yeah i needed this right now. The whole metaphor is excellent — also, dont you love when you find old stuff you put together not knowing it was meant for your future self?!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Hey @Vron! Haha yes! It is nice to find writings from the past that remind you of important ideas. This was certainly a good example of that in action.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Just the words I needed to hear tonight. Many thanks
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
You're most welcome!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Go play in the waves! I'm a big fan of this mentality. In fact, I think those who become master surfers in our lifetime will fair well. With such a faced paced modern world that will only continue to speed up, those who succeed will be the ones who can quickly and consciously make decisions without fear of letting go or holding on.
And besides, it's way more fun in the waves anyways ;-)
Great post @chrismccron. I'd love to hear your thoughts about my recent post: These Three Words Will Instantly Change How You Perceive Your Life
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thanks for reading @Axios! You are right; when we embrace change, it makes life exciting and fun. When we recoil against it, we live in fear.
I'll check out that post!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by ChrisMcCron from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews/crimsonclad, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP. Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
@originalworks
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @chrismccron to be original material and upvoted it!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
When something is not going well, I put my earphones, play some Viking battle music and keep on trying until it improves.
I don't know why, but I have a feeling that music really helps me to focus.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
This is a great post! Keep it up!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit