Impermanance

. All elements of life are impermanent. By resisting impermanence, we only cause ourselves suffering. Nature undulates, it rises and falls, and between each rise and fall is a chance for change. Each spring, the trees that lost their leaves in the winter, re-grow new leaves. It doesn’t grow the same leaf it had before, but a brand new leaf. We'd think it ridiculous if it had attempted to hold on to its old leaf, refusing to let it go. We can see from our outside perspective that it was trying to hold on to something that no longer served its purpose. By letting it go, it allowed itself the opportunity to grow a new, beautiful, healthy leaf.

In the same way, by holding on to our maladaptive patterns of thought, we continue to act in addictive ways. These are not limited to addictive behaviors such as smoking or drinking, but also include addictions to unhealthy emotions and thought patterns. If we hold on to our sickness and pain, we are resisting the natural order of change. By letting go of our need to hold on to feelings and thoughts, we allow ourselves to reach for newer, better, and more evolved thoughts, and ultimately walk down a new path; a path that leads to health.

Because life is always in constant flux, there is always an opportunity to change and to heal. No one state is ever permanant. Change is the universal constant. Everything is always evolving. Health depends on how well we are able to adjust to changing conditions in our environment.