One of the most terrifying realizations a person can have is that time passes. Whether you are doing something or not, time continues to progress, seconds turning into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into weeks, weeks into years, until certain moments are no longer distinguishable. People are born, and from the minute they take their first breath, they begin to die. We are all dying. Seasons change and nature progresses through its cycle - birth, death, new life - continuously. Humans are not as aware of it as we should be. Every second of every day, the trees and the birds live and breathe around us in perfect harmony with one another. Perhaps we should take note of it. Through storms and brutal winters, the keep on living. They are survivors. Regardless of their circumstances, they continue to live. And when their time has come to leave this world, they have passed on their seeds to sprout new life so the world can continue its perfect harmony. In the end, we all fall victim to time and its passage. It's a beautiful tragedy.
The reassuring reality of it is we all play a part in the tragedy, whether we choose to or not. We are surrounded by living organisms, characters in the circle of life, for however brief of time. Through this passage, we should learn from the trees. Eventually, they will die - just like us. But through the seasons, they thrive. They grow and bud, then prepare themselves for winter, year after year. Biologically, death is imminent. That does not give them reason to stop living, though. Creatures depend on them, so they live and thrive. We should do the same.
Seasons will change. Time will pass. You will live. And you will die. While we are here, we should thrive. Beneath the vast cosmos, we need to become active participants in this great tragedy, contributing our voice to the harmony of life.
