Whether it's a tooth struck by cavities, wrinkled flesh, a rotting relationship or a planet falling apart there is one common denominator - it is inevitable!
Flowers wilt, teeth decay, cars rust, people disintegrate and die, relationships break down, societies rot, economies crumble, kingdoms fall, species are struck by extinction, planets are pulverized all in the name of evolution. Nothing lasts.
And we take courage from the beautiful journey towards decay. We speak of all the things we gain as we blitzkrieg towards death - wisdom, friends, experiences, memories, an accumulation of stuff. It is a pretty poor swap if you ask me.
There was a time before decay. Do you remember those carefree days in the sandpit? Do you recall the colour of your doting grandmother's eyes? Were you really bored in class as you learnt about the rise and fall of the Ancient Roman Empire not knowing that this was the destiny of all societies? Do you ever reminisce the freshness and invincibility of youth just before you realised that one day you would cease to exist? How often do you think of the days when you said "I love you" in every second breath before the silence of decay set in? How did you feel on your very first day at work when you brought chocolates to sweeten up your new colleagues hoping they would like you?
You were very much liked but also disliked, because like carries seeds of dislike just as love carries seeds of hate. Perhaps it is these seeds that grow and bring about decay.
All we want is something that isn't rot, something that lasts forever. We hope for the immortal in the face of a God, a power, a meaning, a purpose, something that can linger on even when we have long been forgotten.
Something stable.
8 comments:
For some reason I've been contemplating this a lot lately. I've come to realize that I'm more than probably over the half way mark of my life. Those lazy, hazy, sandbox filled days of summer are a distant memory, and yet don't always feel that long ago. What have I missed in my life that I should have experienced, but am now too old too? What can I accomplish with the years I have left - before the decay is too deep? I'm seriously struggling with the fact that I can't turn back the hands of time (and I don't mean to sound cliche). Thanks for a thought provoking post.
Interesting thoughts. I just finished watching a documentary in a series called "Life After People". It was so interesting. It starts in the first year after no more humans exist on the earth and goes from there. All of these magnificent things that humans have built and created succumb to decay and rot. The world returns to a natural state. It is haunting to watch. I couldn't help but think about the people that were there. The ones who created so much, but no longer live on the earth.
I am also fascinated with genealogy. I love to find out who came before me and what their stories were. I imagine what their life was like and how it was different from mine. Some of the people who have come before me have left their stories. I love to read them and learn more. I think these stories are a piece of them that will never decay as long as someone takes the time to read them.
Thanks for making me think a bit today!
LJ - I wish I had the answers. Perhaps you should read or watch "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - kind of brings to light that we did not exist before we were born and what will come after death also existed before life...or perhaps we will live on for as long as we influence others who in turn influence others even in little ways.
Novelist - Sounds like an interesting documentary. I'm going to look for it online. I, too, enjoy old stories of people who no longer exist and hearing about my ancestors. Wish I could meet them. Then again, wish I could meet myself again also as I was 10, 20, 30 years ago...I shudder to think what I would think of me or even if we would get along...
Hi Mary, Enjoyed your posting. As a business women for over twenty-five years and now being semi-retired and over fifty makes me wonder how much did I really enjoy . . the things maybe I didn't accomplished or the things I did that no one really is going to remember. I really feel we're here just to learn and teach one another. As a woman who believes, I feel this life on earth prepares us for our eternal life. Worldly things will always decay and kingdom things don't. I feel true stability comes from having faith :O)
My post today is about the last leg of my European vacation, which is Rome. How interesting that you post this today.
I hope you liked your video clip. I guess I should check my email...
Sandy - So far decay has proven to be inevitable...and it seems to have a cycle as the old goes out and new is born. But there is so much we have yet to learn, especially about the power of the mind. Call it faith if you like.
Robin - Did you get as far as Athens, or did you stop at Rome? I responded to your video post this morning. It was hilarious.
For me, the only consolation in decay is that it is a transition from one form of matter to another. I try to find some solace in knowing that perhaps the atoms that make my body will one day be part of a beautiful flower, or a butterfly, or a gemstone, or a river rock, or..., or....
Well, it's a romantic thought. But I'm not in any particular hurry to morph. This is a touching post, artfully written.
That is a consoling thought, Sharon. I, too, will hold it!
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