The illusion of stillness

14 December 2019

Stillness isn’t real.

One of the mental hang-ups we all commit at one time or another is that we wish things would stay the same. We resist change.

The thing is, everything is changing. All the time.

When we sit in a chair, we may feel like we’re still. But we’re really not. The earth is spinning around its axis while orbiting around the sun. The sun orbits around the center of the Milky Way, which itself is also moving.

In our bodies there are ten times more microorganisms than human cells. All these microorganisms are constantly eating, competing for resources, reproducing, and dying. Speaking of human cells, those are dying and being replaced as well. Solids, liquids, gases, and electricity are coursing through our body all the time.

Objects, like the computer I’m using to write, the chair I’m sitting on, and the apartment building I’m in, are getting worn with use. Air molecules are bouncing off each other all around me and inside my body. Other forms of energy are moving around and through me.

And I haven’t even scratched the surface of describing all the movement there is.

There’s no stillness anywhere. Looking for it is a losing battle. Instead of searching for stillness, it’s better to learn how to be at peace with movement.