Impermanence

A valuable lesson in life learnt today, nothing is permanent, nothing is forever. Hence the title, "Impermanence". I am no stranger to this term. As a Buddhist, i was taught of this term several times. But being the young and growing kid, this lesson was not appreciated by me, until today.

Why the sudden enlightenment of this term? Well, it started with a few things. I'll go through them one by one, the events that happened that lead me to the current stage.

First event, The Change.

The change occurred when i was active in a youth camp committee (currently still active), the committee changes every single year. Not to say a total revamp of the entire crew, but you get to see new faces coming in and the old faces retiring back into their busy life. The thought always appeared in my mind, WHY LEAVE? I did not realize it until i experience it myself. The answer is none other than, one word, LIFE. Not to say joining youth committee is a waste of time, but some people value personal time. When i graduated and started working, suddenly, time became very precious. Something i did not hold very dearly when i was still studying. Well, its a lesson well learnt, but i was still very ignorant of it until......

Second event, The Passing.

The passing of my grandfather two years ago was one of they key events that grew this thought. I'm not that close to my grandfather, sadly to say. But he still plays a big role in my upbringing. Since i was a child, the fear of my parents especially my father was HUGE, but i will still argue with them. But when it comes to my grandfather, the view of him holding the cane was enough to trigger a life or death reaction to a small boy. And thanks to that strict upbringing that i was the person i am today. Still not perfect, still learning as i go. What i learnt was never take things for granted and time never waits. I regret not being able to be closer to my grandfather, but i learn from this passing, having ever more gratitude, towards my parents.

Last event, The Leaving.

The leaving of a colleague and an important figure in the team (my first job and two different individuals) drew me ever closer to this lesson. It was my first job and i was naive and strangely believing that the team will stay the team. But even though i could see the obvious sign of a collapsing team and the fading of trust, i did not even thought that resigning would be their ultimatum. Nothing stays the same. Its the fact, a fact though cruel but ever enlightening. Losing them resulted in the remaining team questioning what was wrong, and resulted in a spark of new thoughts and ideas. I, myself will be leaving soon. To pursue career advancement. But, i shall not forget the short few months i was with them, because it was an amazing journey.

Having learn this lesson, i wonder, will i repeat the same mistake i did? Not appreciating the things i have, only to regret when everything is lost. Sadly, i will. WHY? Because i am human, or perhaps even better, i am not perfect, i can be mindful most of the time. But, i will make mistake as i go along, learning as i make them, growing from learning them.

Impermanence, its unavoidable, its unmistakable.  

Signing off

~Jason Chia~

It's not too late. Grasp the opportunity before it's too late.