The cup is already broken - Meditation on the fleeting experience
The finiteness of experience is one of the most difficult laws human beings can grapple with. Realizing the fleetingness of experience, of the body, of the planet, of our loved ones, of our emotions is unavoidable, yet it is often repressed into the exhaustive “think about later” list some of us keep.
The law of finiteness is an invitation to know the preciousness of all things. This law does not discriminate and can be noticed in even the most seemingly mundane. Every inhale has a brith, a growth, a decay, and a death. To try and hold on to an inhale is futile and eventually you will either be beckoned to exhale because of the discomfort, or the body will pass out in order to restore the exhale-inhale cycle. To observe this law in the breath, the cornerstone of all life, may point one to not only the necessity of fleetingness, but the beauty of it. Rejecting the law of finiteness in the pursuit of holding on to something is akin to holding your breath. It is futile, it can cause discomfort, and it will persist with or without your accepting of it.
The finite nature isn’t a somber one, it isn’t a law to be simply tolerated, it is a law to investigate first hand. When you practice mindfulness of fleetingness, you not only accept it as law, but you deepen your love and care of all phenomenon you come in contact with. You understand things as they are, you know that by something simply existing, it is precious. Anything subject to the cycle of birth and death is inherently beautiful - it is to be awed at and appreciated. Including you.
It is okay if one forgets this fact and clings to life - it is okay if this feels uncomfortable. The relief that comes from knowing finiteness is always available. You may realize it in one moment and forget the next, this is the point of practice - slowly you get more comfortable with the landscape, you learn about yourself and your nature, and what is meant to be shown to you will reveal itself. Be patient and be kind to yourself - but don’t be afraid to look what scares you the most in the eyes and see it for what it is. You’ll be a-okay.