In the Way of Mastery, p.354, we read: “…the things of time are like the waves that arise from the ocean—because they have a beginning, they will have an end. In their beginning, their end is certain. Only a fool would create loyalty to that which is temporary, temporal and ultimately, unfulfilling. But the wise of heart have decided to place their value on that which is eternal. And what can be eternal save God? And God is but Love.”

Those words resonated with me as I look around me and notice that nothing is enduring in our world. Our children grow up and leave home; our careers change and eventually we leave them behind in retirement; we may move from house to house over the years; relationships come and go, etc. We could feel some sadness if we dwell upon the impermanence of life. The antidote is to find pleasure in things that do seem to last a while, such as the beauty of nature, a creative hobby, a passion or a cause of some sort to support.

It’s also helpful to bear in mind that even though good things come and go in our lives, the same can be said for things that aren’t so good. The current world situation is an example. One day this too shall pass and we will move on with our lives again. Maybe in some ways we will be transformed forever, but life will return to some semblance of normality when the virus has been overcome.

The thing to remember is that nothing lasts for ever. As the Buddha once said: “All conditioned things are impermanent’ — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.” Dhammapada, Verse 277.