Embracing the impermanence

A naïve young boy stood in front of the vast North Sea for the first time in his life, wondering at its infiniteness. Mesmerized by its vastness and tickled by the waves on the shores, with surging serotonin pulled by the moon, his hand carved her name in the sand, declaring his infant affection. The moment he finished writing it and took a few steps back to see the beautiful name against the oceanic background, he was in euphoria. Meanwhile, a big, excited wave approached him and, in the blink of an eye, turned sand into a blank canvas again, as if nothing had existed before. With a mixture of tad disappointment and awe, he was perplexed.

“Did my finger hesitate to dive inside the sand? Did the golden sand granules offer resistance to the fingers? Then, why do the relentless waves come to erase everything?” he pondered, lost in thought.

Boy (speaking to the sand): “You know, I wrote her name over you to make my love for her eternal. But it didn’t stay even for a single minute. Did you sense any lack in my affection towards her when I dipped my fingers in you?”

Sand (whispers in the breeze): “Hey, young boy! You are not the first to try to eternalize love through me. Your finger did not hesitate, nor did I resist your soft touch. I always welcome the weight of the words and try to hold the imprinted emotions as far as I can with open granules.”

Boy (with curiosity): “Then, why did you call those relentless waves to erase the beautiful sight irreversibly?”

Water (with soaring voice): “Ahh, young boy! You misunderstood me. He did not call me. Nature eternally connected us, and my role is to cleanse up the canvas of sand, preparing it for new stories, new emotions, and new imprints.”

Boy (with amusement in his voice): “So, you mean to say that nothing lasts forever on his canvas? All the efforts I made to come here, riding 15 km by bicycle to make a mark, leave a footprint, don’t matter? Everything is destined to be washed away, or what?”

Water (with a soothing voice): “Not only his canvas, everything in life is transient. Every beginning implicitly bears a predetermined ending. Yet, the memories of those fleeting moments, the emotions they evoke, they live in the hearts of those who experienced them. That is the true essence of eternity.”

Sand (with affirmation): “True! And also, note that the impermanence of physical forms does not diminish their significance. Likewise, the erased name from my canvas does not mean your expression of affection is flawed and will go unnoticed.”

Boy (with contemplation): “Ahh, I see. So, it is not about creating something that lasts forever; it is about embracing the fleeting beauty with acceptance of impermanence, right?”

Water (with affirmation): “Yes, young boy, you got it. Impermanence is the beauty of life: a constant vibration between pleasant and unpleasant; a constant bounce between low and high, like my tides; that’s life.”

Boy (with a bright smile): “Thank you, sand and water, for your invaluable wisdom. Even though I couldn’t carve her name permanently in your canvas, I will always cherish the feeling of doing so and the feeling that triggered me to do so.”

Sand and water (in unison): “That is all we ever desire—to be a part of the memories that make life rich and meaningful. Be a part of fleeting moments. Goodbye!”

All this conversation was heard by the Sun over the horizon, which was about to set. The yellowish rays summoned the boy to look at the setting sun and made him realize that even the source of everything rises and sets. The boy felt that his earlier desire to leave a permanent mark was nothing short of delusion. Since that day, the boy has been in love with the beauty and serenity of the sunset, as it reminds him of the inherent beauty found within the impermanence of life’s experiences.