Finding Wisdom in Stillness and Flow

Still Water 

Noun.

a part of a stream that is level or where the level of inclination is so slight that no current is visible.

I had this thought one night. Yesterday actually. A very random thought before falling asleep. Still Water. Water with no currents, just pure stillness. In this world where everything is impermanent, the concept of stillness seems almost out of place. 

Consider the Earth. It has to not only rotate on its axis but also has to orbit the sun to sustain life on its surface. Another example, the sapling needs to spread its roots underneath the soil in order to grow into a towering tree. Being a part of this creation. In a world where impermanence prevails, how can one not be touched by it?

Then I pondered, does the concept of Still Water truly exist? I mean we were taught about water cycle in our primary school and the human body is 70% water.

The Cycle, a pragmatic approach to what goes around comes around. Perhaps when we think we are stuck in a place and make no effort, seeking permanency. There is a force around already working to make the currents happen in our sea life. With efforts perhaps we can steer the course but lack of it does not change its way. Everything is in motion whether or not we are aligning with it. It won’t stop its pace. You may feel trapped in your life, career, or perhaps relationships but in the background, everything is moving, slower maybe but moving nonetheless.

If you pause and introspect, you'll notice you're not the same person you were a year ago. Better or worse, but never the same. There were situations in your life you thought you would never survive, but apparently you did.

There is this a very famous quote, I recall that manages to soothe sadness and subdue intense happiness: "This too shall pass." 

But where does this phrase come from? A popular belief states that Abraham Lincoln popularized the phrase during a speech at the 1859 Wisconsin State Fair — a few years before the Civil War.

"And this, too, shall pass away", he proclaims. "How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride!—how consoling in the depths of affliction! And this, too, shall pass away."

The water that is motionless for weeks, is the water you will never consume. Picture stagnant water, a vessel left untouched; as time passes, its surface will cover with algae, devoid of the lively flow that keeps it fresh. Movement, impermanence — these are what sustain us. 

There is also this other fascinating concept called Regression to the mean (I have heard about it from one of my favourite web series, Teen Wolf.). It suggests that things will always even out. Amidst the highs and lows of life, there is a middle ground. No matter how rough the road may seem or how soaring our achievements, there's a comfort in knowing that eventually, things will level out. 

I guess my all this ranting concludes that Movement or what we also call it, Change is a key to life. Whether you wish it or not, it's already out there happening it in its own pace. Not to disrupt your life but to make you experience the essence of living. It may come wrapped in great mountains to climb or smooth roadways to pedal your bicycle. True wisdom lies not in mere knowledge but in acknowledging. Life doesn't become easier this way, but the sense of indifference makes it about not merely surviving but truly living through it.