Everything Will Pass

Recently I was exposed to two interesting ideas that helped me think about my experiences differently.

The first was a meditating method called Vipassana. I saw a documentary about it’s presence in Indian jails, and the effect it had on the inmates as well as the officers. From what I understood, it revolved around the idea of things passing. Good things, bad things, everything passing. Seeing it in your mind, acknowledging it, and letting it pass, all while focusing on your breathing. I’m sure I’m not explaining it well but you can go to dhamma.org for a better understanding. 

This idea of things passing made me think about all the heart wrenching emotions I’ve had in the past couple of months. Thoughts of regret, of missing out, of hurting others, of hating others…emotions I felt strongly, that chewed at my insides every day, emotions I couldn’t get away from that have finally begun to subside. It’s like I’ve acknowledged them, and now I’m watching them pass away. And not only the hurtful emotions but also the happy ones, I’ve watched them all just settle down and pass away. Putting this all into perspective, puts me at ease because I can accept the fact that the past is the past and I can only move forward, and try to correct what I can. But it also makes me appreciate the beauty in feeling something so powerfully and the wisdom necessary to control/guide that feeling. Which leads me to my second encounter.

I read a story about an 87 year old woman who returned to college, and quickly gained the affection of her peers. So much so, that her peers asked her to give a speech at an event. At this event she said something to the effect of “We, the elderly, don’t look back and regret the things we’ve done, but the things we didn’t do.” Which I’m sure you’ve all heard before in some form or another, but hearing it in the context of this story, and along with what was going on with me now, I began to see the importance in taking action. There are several things I want to do, several impulses I’ve suppressed for various reasons, and I think in some of those situations I was wrong. 

I was afraid so I held back, but I was afraid of things that will eventually pass, things that won’t look so daunting a few years from now. And I don’t want to regret not taking action…

With that said, I’ll take a moment to mull a few things over in my mind and make some changes.