SOJA - Everything Changes
This song by SOJA has inspired me to explore the nature of change and how we can see change and impermanence as a positive drive in life.
Impermanence & Flux
“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change -” “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” |
We are born into a universe that operates on a cyclical basis. Some argue that things change and some argue that change is just an illusion. This is up to you to decide what is true to you, this does not mean that your truth may not change.
Impermanence can be viewed as a state of constant flux. Philosophers have many ways of understanding this changing process.
As of late I have been practising embracing change as part of my interrelations and dealings with people, accepting whatever comes with a changeable mind. The changeable mind is the harder part of the equation, but this is only because of my sense of identity and habitual thinking. This practice of being open to change is very freeing at times and very scary at times, but through constant practice I have become more accustomed or perhaps just in a new pattern of thinking. I've laughed at myself recently in thinking I have to be open to change all the time, because that already is in itself an idea that is unchanging.
This brings me to my next point that there are universal phases happening all the time for learning, growing and being. On the first day we are trying to learn something we are in one state of mind, by the second time around we are already a little familiar with this activity, by the hundredth time we have removed many of the uncertainties and fears we have about the process. This is not to say that there will no longer be changes and challenges after even the ten thousandth time, actually the whole process that we are learning could be completely different from when we started at and this is flux. For example if one was learning to type on typewriters in the early days of typing and they practised only on typewriters they would be unfamiliar with what it is the modern day smartphone and would require time to learn that.
Even in business there are models of flux that work for some to create some of the most innovative products that exist. The process simply starts with discovery being the state of what if and curiosity. This soon moves into evaluation along with the rigorous process of figuring out the flaws, taking risks and evolving with the product. The last and final stage is the execution and implementation process for where we hit the finish line and start another race.
Ocean tides caused by the pull of the moons gravity as it passes earth has a predictable and cyclical effect every month. Our bodies similar to the Earth are made up of three quarters water, so this simple effect that the moon has on water connects to our physical and mental life on this planet. Because we ourselves live in this cyclical operation of life, sometimes we don't even realize what is happening inside and around us and that is we are simply in a state of flux designed by our place in the world. Some of us get caught up in this flux and get swept away like a gust of wind passing by, others feel the breeze and just observe the feeling of it.
As we are all affected by these phases and changes some have made it their duty to show how organized and tied together this past and future is with the present moment. Perhaps after reading the following article explaining stages in life, you will get a clearer picture of where you are at now and well maybe you can just detach and steer your course on your own river of flux or perhaps just go with the flow.
Information on stages in life:
http://www.institute4learning.com/stages_of_life.php
Impermanence can be viewed as a state of constant flux. Philosophers have many ways of understanding this changing process.
- Life like a river - the river today is not the river tomorrow.
- The mind as a wave in the ocean - many thoughts exist and die in each moment.
- The string of time - the present is a product of the past and it is all that exists.
As of late I have been practising embracing change as part of my interrelations and dealings with people, accepting whatever comes with a changeable mind. The changeable mind is the harder part of the equation, but this is only because of my sense of identity and habitual thinking. This practice of being open to change is very freeing at times and very scary at times, but through constant practice I have become more accustomed or perhaps just in a new pattern of thinking. I've laughed at myself recently in thinking I have to be open to change all the time, because that already is in itself an idea that is unchanging.
This brings me to my next point that there are universal phases happening all the time for learning, growing and being. On the first day we are trying to learn something we are in one state of mind, by the second time around we are already a little familiar with this activity, by the hundredth time we have removed many of the uncertainties and fears we have about the process. This is not to say that there will no longer be changes and challenges after even the ten thousandth time, actually the whole process that we are learning could be completely different from when we started at and this is flux. For example if one was learning to type on typewriters in the early days of typing and they practised only on typewriters they would be unfamiliar with what it is the modern day smartphone and would require time to learn that.
Even in business there are models of flux that work for some to create some of the most innovative products that exist. The process simply starts with discovery being the state of what if and curiosity. This soon moves into evaluation along with the rigorous process of figuring out the flaws, taking risks and evolving with the product. The last and final stage is the execution and implementation process for where we hit the finish line and start another race.
Ocean tides caused by the pull of the moons gravity as it passes earth has a predictable and cyclical effect every month. Our bodies similar to the Earth are made up of three quarters water, so this simple effect that the moon has on water connects to our physical and mental life on this planet. Because we ourselves live in this cyclical operation of life, sometimes we don't even realize what is happening inside and around us and that is we are simply in a state of flux designed by our place in the world. Some of us get caught up in this flux and get swept away like a gust of wind passing by, others feel the breeze and just observe the feeling of it.
As we are all affected by these phases and changes some have made it their duty to show how organized and tied together this past and future is with the present moment. Perhaps after reading the following article explaining stages in life, you will get a clearer picture of where you are at now and well maybe you can just detach and steer your course on your own river of flux or perhaps just go with the flow.
Information on stages in life:
http://www.institute4learning.com/stages_of_life.php