Accepting Our Impermanence
Photography highlights the impermanence of everything by capturing fleeting moments that might otherwise go unnoticed or be forgotten.
This visual documentation serves as a reminder that all things are in a constant state of flux, from the changing seasons and the aging of the human body to the erosion of landscapes by water.
By reflecting on these captured moments, we can experience the impermanent nature of existence and appreciate the present more deeply.
The photographs in this Gallery were taken of hospice patients, shortly before their death and of water reducing hard rock to sand.
While death is an important example of impermanence, the real truth of impermanence is that it occurs moment-by-moment, as part of the ‘flow’ of life. Believe it or not, the ‘you’ that started reading this paragraph is a different ‘you’ than exists at this exact moment.
The best maxim I can offer in dealing with impermanence is from my dear teacher, Ram Dass, who put it succinctly this way:
“Be Here Now”.
Click an image below to see a full screen version.
Anna lived to 105. In the photograph on the left, she is looking at a picture taken of her at age 19. She told us that she wanted to die because all her friends had already passed and life had become very boring. She got her wish the day after these photographs were taken.
“It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.” --Thich Nhat Hanh
Steve died way too young of a brain tumor. He was a musician and a political activist who worked tirelessly for President Obama's election. During the 2008 campaign, Obama personally called Steve to thank him for all his efforts. Steve was wonderfully irreverent and a delight to be with. I will always miss him.
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”
——Heraclitus, Greek pre-Socratic Philosopher
GG (initials for ‘great grandmother’) was a 95-year old retired school teacher who lived with and was cared for by her daughter. When I raised my camera to take her portrait, she asked: “Do you think they will see my wrinkles?” I told her that I hope so as they were incredibly beautiful. Her eyes then met mine and I realized she was just having fun at my expense. We both laughed.
“You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now.”
--Joan Baez, Singer and Songwriter
This is my mother, Dorothy, who died at age 88. She was a loving, optimistic and joyful person. After my father died, my wife, Audrey, and I included her in our travels and had many memorable adventures as a result. I loved her Very much, and think about her very often. I am grateful to her for passing to me so many of her special traits.
“Nothing is permanent. The sun and the moon rise and then set. The bright clear day is followed by the deep dark night. From hour-to-hour everything changes.”
--Kalu Rinpoche Tibetan Buddhist Lama and Meditation Master
“Life is a dance of change and transformation, endlessly fluctuating in rhythm. The only way to make sense out of change is to move with it. enjoying the dance”.
Alan Watts, Writer and Mystic