All Situations Are Temporary in an Impermanent Reality

by Robert Wilkinson

A while ago I was asked to explain what I meant by the title statement. I explained what it means to all of us, and why we really cannot take suffering personally, or even hold on to things that were difficult in our past or could be difficult in our future. If you’re interested, read on.

I gave this to you about two years ago. Because it seems to be a theme for many at this time, I figured taking a new look is in order. Here was what I wrote, with quite a few additions to elaborate on some concepts:

Don't take suffering personally. We have all suffered at some point from a variety of sources and causes. It teaches us detachment, compassion, discrimination, and how to choose a better way for our minds and hearts in the moment, steering our focus away from our suffering into a greater love and compassion for ourselves and all our loved ones.

When I state "ALL situations are temporary in an impermanent reality" I mean that is the universal state of affairs for ALL of us. All things are temporary because time moves on, our experience moves on, our perceptions move on, our relationships move on, our feelings move on, and life moves on.

Nothing is permanent except the eternal flow of awareness in the moment. That's why, as we move through temporary situations in this ever-changing reality, it's good to just BE in the NOW.

Living in the present prevents the thieves of the past and future from stealing our present. Getting lost in past suffering only brings the experiences of it forward as we struggle with our suffering. While it’s good to examine what brought us difficulties in the past so we don’t perpetuate those patterns, too often people get hung up on what was, forgetting what IS.

Getting lost in potential future difficulties that could lead to suffering only fixes that picture in our subconscious mind, which we should not do. Many things never materialize, and even when they do, we have the power to control our own experience of that which we face, and what actions, feelings, and thoughts we choose to express.

We must dream a better dream if we are to move in that direction despite our uncertainly in the present moment. I’ve found that even if that potential future is not ours to achieve, there is always a better future perfect for us if we can get out of our own way. That means getting rid of the expectation that the future will simply continue patterns that have led to our current suffering and uncertainty.

Even when life shows us some things we don't want to face, we always have the power to respond as we choose. And the only sane response is to take the high road, whatever that means at the time. This is about learning to love ourselves and our life to overcome any clinging to suffering. That's why staying in the NOW is the only way to live if you want to find peace.

We can only love right here and now. We can only be wise right here and right now. We can only be as we are, right here and right now, while striving to be the best we can, whether in "good times" or "bad times." We ALL have both throughout our lives, since we are attached to pleasure while trying to avoid the pain of life in this impermanent and ever-changing elusive reality.

Here I’ll note that the most dramatic changes occur when we are challenged. When we confront that which forces us out of comfortable assumptions and requires us mobilizing to deal with a challenge or opportunity, our creative imagination kicks in and we begin to realize all kinds of things we didn’t just a moment before.

That’s the cutting edge of evolution, and why we confront changing conditions. If nothing is permanent except Love, then everything in our impermanent reality serves to bring us out of fear into Love, and out of ignorance into Awareness. And every experience we have reminds us of who we really are, merest specks of Loving Light in an infinite field of particles and waves of Light-Love.

We are an Eternal Consciousness moving through impermanent and ever-changing perceptions. Our nature is radiant and eternal Love-Wisdom-Intelligence. When we are living that 24/7, then suffering has no place to enter or take hold in our lives.

Though life can be painful at times, we do not have to suffer. There is nothing that “makes” us be in a non-loving state. We ARE Love, and everything else is illusion. And whether we like it or not, it seems one of our primary tasks while we’re alive is to break the link between pain and suffering.

All things change. We get attached to things and people and ideas about ourselves and loved ones and work and play and children and siblings and public opinion and the other 10,000 distractions. At some point we or they or it moves on.

As our life moves forward, our own views move on as we choose which ones to modify and which ones to cling to. How much we suffer from changing conditions depends entirely on our point of view, and whether we’re willing to move forward as the loving Eternals that we are rather than stay lost in memories or apprehensions. Stay focused on experiencing yourself as the Love you always are, and many things will fulfill themselves perfectly.

Here I’ll encourage all of you to take a look at the masterwork “Through the Gates of Gold.” There’s a link in the Metaphysical section near the bottom of the lower left side of this site. This amazing gem explains some spiritual realities that all of us move through connected to pleasure and pain and the search for fulfillment in life. It's a pretty easy read, and can help clear up many questions about why we're here on Earth and how we can get beyond the emotions and ideas that don't help us. Please check it out.

We are Spirits in the material world. Often the material creation is not easily moved. Still, though many things are difficult, regardless of all outer conditions and our experience of those ever-changing outer conditions, we ARE Love-Wisdom-Intelligence.

We are an infinite and eternal Loving Consciousness having human experiences. We are Love beyond our wildest imagination, with powers we’ve never dreamt of. When we get out of our own way, our potential to live our dream, our ultimate Truth, is unbounded. That’s how free we really are.

© Copyright 2012, 2014 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[ellen]

Robert, Thank you for bringing this out from the archives. I and so many others needed to be reminded of the best path to the human experience. So much pain comes from hanging on to old and tattered baggage and standing in our own way. I see that I need to keep the past and future from amputating the present. I can not change the past, I am unable to control the future. I have been living in the past and future and neither has brought me any joy. I hope that if I try really hard and focus, l may find some peace and a limitless luminosity in the present for a change. I need to control my self sabotage. Thank you for helping to remind us that in these days of great frictional energies surrounding us all, we need to do our best to ground ourselves and not be an obstacle to ourselves while facing obstacles. I appreciate the helpful words on this path towards growth.

[Jan]

Bravo! The material world is often false illusions to what is real (really real) Thanks, Coach

[Wild Horse Running]

Hi Robert,

Ref this article and the past...what about the unconscious parts of ourselves?

I just rented the Movie "Frankie and Alice" Halle Berry plays a woman with a couple of different personalities, as she had unresolved trauma in the past, and others forced it to stay "hidden".

It was fascintating to me, as I have my NNode in the 12th house 3 Libra, conjunct venus 5 Libra, square saturn in the 3rd 4 capricorn and Saturn is currently in Scorpio, and conjunct my sun and mars 22/17 2nd, opposing my moon at 21 Taurus in the 8th......inner parts of me dying, transforming?
For a number of years, and recently very intensely, (Pluto RX about to turn direct Sept?)
"stuff-things" have been coming up to the surface....past, unconscious parts of myself, which is difficult to look at, but for the first time, I seem to be able to break old "habits-patterns"

I know I "found" that movie and some books recently on "Power & Control issues"....as parts of me, that have been "hidden", I am to integrate, get stronger and or let go of...
I had a series of very intense dreams, one of which said...."you must feel your pain"...Moon in the 8th?
After seeing that movie, I understand better...as she had to relive, or feel the pain of the past that she had buried....and the split of her psyche was healed as she remembered and allowed painful memories to come into consciousness.

Carl Jung..."Untill you make the unconscious, conscious...it will direct your life, and you will call it fate".

[MAK]

Robert, I'm grateful that, you shared these inspirational words of wisdom. Powerful message! We all need reminding. Thank you, sir, for all that you do.

Tanz

[Nic]

"If nothing is permanent except Love, then everything in our impermanent reality serves to bring us out of fear into Love, and out of ignorance into Awareness. And every experience we have reminds us of who we really are, merest specks of Loving Light in an infinite field of particles and waves of Light-Love."
" Stay focused on experiencing yourself as the Love you always are, and many things will fulfill themselves perfectly"
That is what this life appears to be all about. So easy and yet so difficult.
Blessings be to all

[debbie]

All beliefs from past have now been let go, new age, new way, old ways and beliefs served well for the old age to master an understanding of it, it is time for something new as required for the new age, everything changes, its just that if we dont roll with them and adapt as we go, well it suddenly seems like it is a big sudden one. It hasnt been easy to let go of the beliefs I had that served myself and others well in the past, because it can become like a crutch of ones purpose, which of course, also changes it has been doable though, finally.