“Pleasure comes, but not to stay; even this shall pass away.” (All Things shall pass away. John Bartlett (1820–1905). We have all heard that life is a series of ups and downs. Without pain, we do not know pleasure. The states we find ourselves in each day may vary as much as the weather. One day I am energetic and happy, the next day I am depressed and lethargic. Moods wax and wane like the tides. How can I be happy each day?
If we were spirits rather than temporal beings it might be possible to remain constant and unchanging. However, the nature of being temporal means that we will forever experience cycles in our life: cycles of happiness, cycles of pain, cycles of birth, cycles of death and cycles of aging. Nothing is permanent in this world. This is the meaning of temporality. Should I be sad or angry at the thought that whatever I have today could be swept away tomorrow? And if not tomorrow, then someday for sure! All temporal things will perish.
How attached are you to the things in life? Are you prepared to accept that all things are very transient and impermanent? Are your Prada purses and Gucci jeans vain attempts to gain some type of immortality? What vanities do you have that you try to hold onto? What things have the most meaning to you? Do you stop to acknowledge the people and things that really count in your life? Do you realize that they could all be swept away tomorrow? Are you valuing the people, loved ones and friends that really matter by spending your time on them? Do you value your soul as much as your clothes?
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