Permanently Impermanent

The truth of impermanence means, in short, almost every-fucking-thing in this world/life is impermanent-that is to say things change. Our inability to accept this truth is a cause of great suffering, however the good news is that the idea of impermanence allows us to understand the difference between what’s real, and what’s illusion.

Fear, is illusion. The past and the future, are illusion. Love, on the other hand, is very real. This means that although things in life change, true love, without the hindrance of our perspectives/thoughts, is very real. It’s the love you feel when you’re silent in nature, or when you hold you child. It’s the love that holds this entire universe together. So while we may have perceived “enemies” in this life, it’s only a problem if we forget that hate/fear are impermanent, and love is real. Even if we forget, it’s only a temporary problem anyway.

We can love even those who would do us harm (forgive them, they know not what they do), we can love ourselves, even when we’ve made mistakes. This underlying love is the only truth, it’s the only thing that will be left when we’re dead and gone. Love transcends impermanence.

Lately, I’ve been connecting to this truth through the lens of cognitive behavioral therapy. In CBT there is the concept of post-traumatic growth. When a person is healing and moving on from a traumatic event, they commonly display five attributes:

1. New sense of possibility

2. Greater appreciation of life

3. New value in relationships

4. Increased personal strength

5. Deepened spiritual or religious beliefs

Can you see how love is at the root of all these attributes? When the storm is over and the hate/fear/anger/sadness have gone their impermanent way, all that is left, is love. My friends, I love you. Even if I hate you, that’s just impermanence. We all come from love, and unto love we shall return.