2022-08-11 How Does the World Work?

One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus: “No one ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and they are not the same person.” The notion of impermanence (or nothing lasts) is stressed across wisdom traditions. It is often viewed as a foundational perspective or universal truth. Heraclitus called “change” the only thing that is constant.

Although it seems we can often overestimate our understanding of impermanence.

How many of us believe that we actually change from one day (or moment) to the next? Are you making decisions as the person you are today (or a past version of yourself)?

The Buddha stressed, “One moment can change a day, one day can change a life.” In truth, the past (and future) has little to do with the direction we choose and the choices we make at this moment. To come to this realization, philosophers and spiritual thinkers throughout history focused on the question — How does the world work?

A philosophy of life has three components: metaphysics (how the world works), ethics, and a set of exercises or practices. However, most of us spend more time and effort on ethics and practices than on shaping our perceptions (or views and beliefs) about the world.

Contemplate this passage from Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations:

“Is change something to fear? But can anything happen without change? Is there anything that’s nearer and dearer to universal nature? What about you personally? Can you take a warm bath unless the firewood undergoes a change? Can you be nourished unless your food undergoes a change? Can anything else worthwhile take place without change? So don’t you see that the changes you experience are no different and are similarly necessary to universal nature?”

For Heraclitus, understanding that “nothing endures but change” is central to living a good life. “Everything flows, and nothing abides;” according to Heraclitus, “everything gives way, and nothing stays fixed.”

“For Beauvoir, there is no fixed essence to our being since we are always becoming something other than what we are today. ‘Existence precedes essence,’ meaning that we exist first and then spend the rest of our lives creating who we are (our essence).”

To quote Heraclitus a final time, “The sun is new every day.” Each day (and moment) is an opportunity to begin again. None of us can step in the same river twice.