The Big Machine: Nothing’s Real and Nothing Lasts
As seen in my previous blog, I mentioned the song by the Goo Goo Dolls. A line went: Nothing’s real and nothing lasts. That’s what I wanted to comment on in the entry.
Ok, a lot of people often ask what is real. Real may be quite relative. For me, real is something that I can analyze, I can think of. Something that may not necessarily materialize. It all happens in the head. Often times, what is real is a matter of perception and belief. I may believe in God and find Him to be real while others may reject the idea of His existence. Perhaps there is no universal real, just a temporary, fleeting real. I must agree with the adage that the only thing constant in this world is change. Nothing does last. Even, possibly, the memories we cherish. They may easily fade or change according to us. Of course, we’d like to remember the most pleasant of experiences but sometimes, inevitably, we recall the more unpleasant ones. But we cope, our mind makes use of such defense mechanisms. I know, I’m sounding too technical or philosophical but I question a lot times what is real. Are emotions real? Are the material things around me real?
Now that I’ve sort of got those philosophical-like thoughts out of my beat up system, I’d like to think of what’s real and what lasts in more practical level.
Have you ever been in love? Well many would nod or answer with a yes. But is love really real? I mean, you say you loved your ex, you say you loved. LOVED. But isn’t the infinite a quality of love. True love never ends they say. But then why do we use LOVED? In past tense. Why not love now? I find such contradiction and hollowness in that. Would someone please explain?
And yes. Nothing does last. Even the way we view ourselves, our values are more often than not put to test, subject to change. People die, we "fall out of love", money dwindles, food spoils, what, tell me does last? Maybe feelings do…but I’m inclined to doubt. I may be such a pessimist but I’ve seen things fade away right before me. I’ve experience maybe falling for someone yet wanting it to go away not because I don’t like that person anymore but because I know this, this hope, this optimism will only take me so far. It’ll only hurt me. I know, based on experience, that hanging on a thread of hope, wishing that that someone would fall for you is all just phase. This, too, shall pass. One day you’ll realize that life has passed you by. Mich told me that maybe our questions aren’t meant to be answered now. Maybe in the future, we’ll find them. Maybe that’s why we shouldn’t wait. It’s always forward we go.
Moral of it all? Nothing lasts but maybe while it’s there, while in the moment, make it worth every second. We should learn to cherish what we have. Because what we grasp so tighly in our hands today may be open palms tomorrow.
