As temporary as dreams…

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Happiness in this world is temporary. So is suffering. But they have one difference. We have to strive to create conditions (karma) that will guarantee good birth, and thus happiness. But to have suffering, it will come without any hard work. It is guaranteed. And you will find yourself so easily inclined towards actions that will create karma to cause you to be reborn into lower births.

No matter how beautiful a girl or a boy is; no matter how powerful a man is; no matter how wealthy someone is; these are all temporary. They are like dreams too. I have seen rich people suddenly suffer in downfall. I have seen poor ones rise in times to come. So nothing is permanent. Things change. People run in fear of accepting this change but it catches us no matter where we try to run to. And I feel sad to see that despite all the easy visible facts, we are still wishing things were permanent.

Death is as temporary as dreams. So is life. We don’t cry when a newborn comes into the world with a cry of joy. But when someone dies, we feel the world crumbling on us. We feel that our life is shattered into pieces with that one death of our close relative. But it is temporary; it comes to everyone. Why aren’t we crying when we see an insect die? Why don’t we even cringe in pain when we clap mosquito dead? I know we will argue tooth and nail about how it is different despite one stark truth of similarity—of death. But I will not argue on that just now.

I am in shambles myself. I’m only trying to convince myself that if we cry for the death of a person, we must cry for the death of an insect. As I see so many people I know die, I have come to fear living itself. I want to run away, just so that I don’t have to see loved ones die. But where could I run?

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