Intelligence and Impermanence: Every Thing Must Change [1]
By Wayne Sebamurti Gentry Presented by Omni-U Virtual University
"We are spiritual beings having a human experience." Often cited by Ancestor Dr. James Peace Jr.
Most of us have learned the scientific Law that "Energy is neither created nor destroyed". The total amount of mass in the universe is constant; it simply changes forms. Similarly, in the context of Spirituality, it is understood that "Life" is never created, nor is Life ever destroyed; Life simply takes on different forms. This means that "birth" and "death" are terms that do not apply to Life, but rather to the forms through which Life expresses itself. Life is eternal; therefore, Life is permanent. The forms, through which Life "lives", are not eternal; thus, they are impermanent.
"Life" forms come into existence and go out of existence in cycles of birth and death. For example, the generation of "Life" forms now existing will cease to exist 200 years from now and new "Life" forms will be in existence. The entire process of "taking on form" through an act of birth and "throwing off form", through an act of death, is also known as the "world" process. The acts of coming into the world and going out of the world relate to the forms of "Life"- not to Life itself which has no "coming in" or "going out". Life is eternally present.
Only Life, itself, is totally fulfilling as the basis of one's identity. However, the forms of "Life" are unfulfilling because they are impermanent.
Whenever we seek to fulfill our lives on the basis of something that is impermanent -which also means that it will change- we experience dissatisfaction, sorrow, and/or suffering. Seeking to anesthetize ourselves in order to mitigate the experience of pain and suffering through artificial means, i.e., drugs/alcohol, sex, etc., only exacerbates our suffering. The spiritual, physical, and psychological means for alleviating suffering would be through natural medicine and meditation, respectively.
Intelligence is that which sees the impermanent nature of the world process and, in effect, brings one's actions in alignment with the proper response to impermanence. Hence, a person whose intelligence is awake/ "woke" -which is, by definition; not asleep- is capable of acting on the precepts of the "Serenity Prayer"[2] and, thus, to "accept the things which cannot be changed, i.e., those which are permanent; and, change the things that can be changed, i.e., those that are impermanent. Such persons possess the wisdom to know the difference and the grace and intelligence to "make a way out of no way"- living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Blognotes
[1] Reprinted from "Community Preparedness: It's Armor Time", an H3O Art of Life Blog by Wayne Sebamurti Gentry.
[2] "The Serenity Prayer" by
Reinhard Niebuhr.
Recommended Readings:
Wayne Sebamurti Gentry:
"The Nature of Intelligence: A Look Beyond Mere Thinking"
"The Connection Between Science, Consciousness, Spirituality and Mythology"
The Importance of Learning Black History
Thich Nhat Hahn:
The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology
The Miracle of Mindfulness
Inside the Now
Present Moment Wonderful Moment: Mindfulness Verses for Daily Living
Autumn Light: Seasons of Fire and Farewells
Discography