Life Is Best Lived With Death
Arguing otherwise will only cause you suffering.
“It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent, when they are not.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, via MoveMe Quotes
When you argue against reality, you will suffer. Impermanence is one of those realities.
There is no negotiation, no way to avoid, and no argument that will change the fact that you and I will both die. The reality of death isn’t what makes us suffer though. It’s our desire for immortality, our desire to never have to confront the death of loved ones, and our desire to never have to face death ourselves—that makes us suffer.
We suppress thoughts about it; avoid seeing people close to it; kick, scream, beg, and yell when people near it; and distract our minds in any way we can so that we won’t have to think about it.
But the reality doesn’t change.
Can the reality of impermanence be an incredibly unfair and harsh one? Absolutely. But the more I think about permanence—in myself or others (as appealing as it might sound) — the more meaning and purpose leave the picture of my mind.
If I know I’m going to live indefinitely, why work? Why eat? Why sleep? Why do anything that I normally do day-to-day? I already…
