Things change, people change nothing stays the same forever. What happens today may be gone tomorrow within a blink of an eye or as fast a shooting star disappears in the sky. We learn how to treasure people more and more each day, which allows us to love them more and more. Any of Buddha's teachings have to consider the Three Dharma Seals or else it is not considered a teaching. The Three Dharma Seals are impermanence, non-self and nirvana. The idea that everything changes is the teaching of impermanence. According to Thich Nhat Hanh, "when we look deeply into impermanence, we see that things change because causes and conditions change."(p. 132) If impermanence didn't exist your daughter couldn't grow up to be the beautiful young lady she is or political values wouldn't change. When we understand impermanence, it gives us confidence, peace, and joy; not necessarily suffering. We only make ourselves suffer when we try to make things permanent for example relationships and friendships. Impermanence teaches us to live our life to the fullest and value our moments and relationships more and more each day, whether its friends, family, or a significant other. When mindful living is practiced, we shouldn't have regrets. We should be able to smile and be proud that we've done our best and tried to make others happy. We should appreciate what is out front of us, instead of getting attached or forgetful. Attachment leads us to suffering. We think they are the one, and hope to spend the rest of your life with them, but other causes occur to result in a different outcome, where one person may become hurt. Based on the movie My Sister's Keeper, you may become attached to someone that has little to no time left.
In My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult uses a quote that helps explain impermanence. That quote is “love has all the lasting permanence of a rainbow — beautiful while it’s there, and just as likely to have disappeared by the time you blink.” The main character Kate is diagnosed with Leukemia, a deadly disease. She meets this guy who also was diagnosed with cancer that she falls in love with. They become attached, where it gets harder on them as they both become more sick. This shows impermanence because as days past, it gets harder and harder on them and their family and things change. They become weaker and more sad. They begin to live every moment to the fullest trying to make each other happy at the same time.
Throughout life you encounter hardships, where you begin to feel lost and heart broken. I've come across those times in different instances. According to Thich Nhat Hanh, "when we know that the person we love is impermanent, we will cherish our beloved all the more."(p. 132) A couple years ago I lost not only my aunt but my best friend to a long-term illness. When the doctors first diagnosed her they gave her less than a year, as time was passing a year she started to feel healthy again until she hit a dead end in the road. The time she was alive I cherished every moment with her, and seemed to get more attached. After her death, I felt lost without her like part of me was missing, but I recognized that she was changing and I needed to cherish the moment and hope for the best, which is based on Buddha's teaching of impermanence part of The Three Dharma Seals.
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