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This Too Shall Pass

Experiencing Change is Inevitable, but Suffering is Optional.

By Lisa PearlmanPublished about a year ago 3 min read
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Nothing stays the same and nothing lasts forever in the physical world. Life itself is a cyclical process, an ongoing progression of changes we refer to as evolution. Time marches on and space is infinite so everything is constantly shifting, both in spatial position and in linear time, from moment to moment. Everything is in perpetual motion, existing as energy on a quantum level.

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, has been quoted as saying “change is the only constant in life.” This premise is ironic but essentially true. Change and uncertainty are the only guarantees in life, the only constants we can truly count on. So we may as well accept as universal truth, without attachment or judgment, the mantra "This too shall pass."

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable...

Get familiar with that feeling of uncertainty...

Life is much easier if you don't resist change or get attached to what is. Just accept each moment as it is and let it go as the next moment unfolds. Know that more will be revealed.

It's ok not to have all the answers... accept that there will always be some things left unknown... embrace the mystery of life with wonder and excitement.

As OSHO used to say, "Life is is not a problem to be solved. It is a mystery to be lived."

I will go one step further and add this: The mystery of life is the magic that makes life an exciting adventure worth experiencing!

Life would be quite boring if we already read the script and knew the playbook. What would be the point of striving for anything, of setting goals, of seeking improvement, of trying new things, if we already knew how it would all unfold?

We love to hear/read stories and watch movies because it is exciting to follow characters and scenarios and watch how things unfold. We love plot twists! We love following the hero's journey and seeing people change and overcome obstacles. Predictability is boring.

Why do we bother wrapping presents? Have you watched a child's wide-eyed wonder as he/she tears open their Christmas or Birthday present? Sometimes they even prolong the surprise by shaking the gift, holding it up, guessing its contents, as family members scream "Open it already!"

As adults, we need to remember the joy of wonder and the fun of surprises. Life is full of infinite possibilities, just like a wrapped gift!

Maybe that is why the miracle of life and the magical Power of "NOW" is referred to as a state of awareness that exists only in the "PRESENT," moment by moment.

So yes, change is a cost of living life, but suffering is optional.

Suffering is borne out of perception. It only exists in your reality if you perceive it and believe it.

Suffering is experienced subjectively as a response to your INTERPRETATION of a situation or event. It is triggered by your thoughts, attitude, opinions and preferences for certain thoughts and feelings over others, your attachment to a specific outcome.

Instead of accepting the Yin and Yang of life as an integrated whole, differing only by degrees along an infinite continuum, like points along a circle that rise to and fall from a center point of singularity, most of us in the Western world view life in terms of duality and polar opposites, i.e. good/bad, right/wrong, life/death, light/dark, etc... It is with this faulty paradigm that we unwittingly create our own suffering.

We must instead embrace the "Full Catastrophe of Living," as suggested in the best-selling book bearing that title, written by Mindfulness guru, Jon Kabat-Zinn. Try being fully present for and mindful of life in all of its wonder and uncertainty, without preference or judgment, without attachment to any one moment; just experience the totality of life as it unfolds. Be grateful for the miracle of life, appreciate it in its experiential diversity - experience all its colors, sounds, sights, smells and sensations, without clinging to it or wishing it were different.

Just BE.

P.S. I photographed this beautiful Monarch Butterfly on a pink Echinacea Coneflower in my front yard, using my iphone camera. I edited it on my iPhone using #ULTRAPOP app to transform it into a colorful abstract work of pop art.

advicecopinghumanityrecoveryselfcaretraumasupport
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About the Creator

Lisa Pearlman

Writer/iphoneographer/B.A. Psychology Empath/HSP/INFJ/Projector * I write poetry, inspiration, & informative/educational pieces on topics in Personal Development, including mental health, spirituality, chronic illness, making money online.

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