If the rainbow was out in the sky everyday would I still look at it with amazement?
If
the peacocks tail was spread out all the time would I still stare at
it with awe?
If
the beautiful blue of the sky was unblemished
would
I long for at least a single cloud to break the monotony?
If life went on happily always,
would
I appreciate special moments of joy?
Beauty,
enchantment, mystery,
Would
they mean anything if they were permanent?
Can
I ever appreciate a moment "NOW" without linking it to the past and worrying about the
uncertainty of tomorrow?
Can
I live in the moment?
Believing in everything being impermanent?
Life goes on,
changing
from moment to moment,
Just like the flow of a river,
which
looks so calm from above but keeps moving towards its destination,
So
joyously, so fast, so beautifully,
It
remains clean and pure because it keeps moving,
It
keeps changing every moment and keeps cleansing itself,
Can
my life 's stream go on fast, free, with a song on my lips, and music
in my heart,
With
clarity and splashes?
Beauty
and no gashes?
7 comments:
Very well expressed, Varsha.Their impermanence does make us enjoy the moments of happiness much more. Life is a mix of pain and pleasure, joy and grief, regrets and expectations and happiness and sadness. Living in "Here and Now" is the best way to dilute the moments of anxiety in life. Keep writing. I love reading your blogs.
Ranjana
Will heaven be bliss if you have not gone through hell. It is when nothingness hits you that you value your existence. The question is- ‘Will the value of a thing decrease if it is permanent? Will it give rise to a monotony that will make us discard it or just shrug it off?’ Permanence and impermanence are a duality that exist together, one giving rise to the other. It is because we are impermanent that we value life. Your questions ‘would I? can I? signify a doubt and a hope, regarding the temporality of the world of things and your wish to change it to your view of the ideal universe in which you would like to live. I guess everyone aspires to that.
K. Vaikuntam said," I think living in the present is an artifact which society uses to keep us in line and which we also use on ourselves to keep sane in this world. But is there a present without a past? When we lose a loved one do we suffer because we know it as fact of the present moment that the departed was our brother or sister? No it is not the fact but the memories of a shared past that makes us suffer. Equally, it is the hopes and aspirations for the future (or, at least, a safe future, if you are a older person) that makes us take actions in the present. The past and future are what make life worth living in the present. The river analogy sufferes because there are other people living along the banks of the river who pollute the river as is happening to the ganges. The pollution exceeds the ability of the river to rejeuvenate itself. But then fish are swimming in the Thames again and that is also due to external intervention. The river has meaning only if life occupies its banks but that life will invariably affect the river running - for good or for bad"
One cannot live devoid of memories of the past or aspirations for the future. That is because we humans have emotions, memories and can think. We also do base most of our decisions on past experience. Kadayam Vaikuntam. your observation about the river is also very valid. The river does get affected by the banks, the rocks and pebbles and other obstructions on the way, yet the water keeps flowing and therefore keeps itself as clean as it can. It is better than the pond water which becomes stagnant and dirty. I only wish that my life would keep flowing, moving along the banks, circumventing the obstructions and being useful to the society at large.Thanks a lot for your valued observations.
Thanks a lot Gopalasamudram Subramanian. Indeed impermanence is the essence of life. It is this factor which makes us value whatever we get in life. No two moments can ever be the same. When I was small I wanted to grow up fast, and was impatient with time, now I value time in a very different manner. Everything changes and makes life so interesting and keeps us alive with new expectations and aspirations and hope. My wish is that I should be able to enjoy every moment of today and not be anxious and fret with fear of what is in store tomorrow.
Pattabhi Raman said,"The essence of any experience is its transience ...the essence of enjoyment is the transience of the experience.. This has been so beautifully brought out by Varshaji... Taj Mahal may be permanent but the joy it brings to the viewer is at that moment..but these moments can be recollected in tranquility resulting in poetry and art creations..."
Frankly, I enjoyed the blog for what it is - the well orchestrated words woven into short sentences - without worrying about any underlying philosophy or tenet.
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