Living In a World of Change and Corruption
 |
“All parts of the world (all things I mean that are contained within it), must of necessity at some time or another come to corruption. Alteration I should say, to speak truly nd properly; but that I may be better understood, I am content at this time to use the more common word. Now say I, if so be that be both hurtful unto them, and yet unavoidable, would not, thinkest thou, the whole itself be in a sweet case, all the parts of it being subject to alteration, yea and by their making itself fitted for corruption, as consisting of things different and contrary? And did nature then either of herself thus project and purpose the affliction and misery of her parts, and therefore of purpose so made them, not only that haply they might, but of necessity they should fall into evil; or did not she know what she did when she made them? For either of these two to say is equally absurd. But to let pass nature in general, and to reason all things according to their own particular natures; how absurd and rediculous it is, first to say that all parts of thw whole are, by their natural constitution, subject to alteration; and then when any such thing doth happen, as when one doth fall sick or dies, to wonder as though some strange thing had happened?” ~Marcus Aurelius
Everything Changes
Aurelius is correct in saying that all things in this world change, and that change generally means becoming corrupt, rotten, sick, or dead. There are a few exceptions, but even those are usually signs of aging which eventually leads to death or destruction. It seems a beautiful thing when a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly, but it also means that the animal has reached the last stage of its life and will soon die if it doesn’t get eaten first.
Don’t Blame Nature
Mother Nature, of Gaia, the governing mind of planet Earth is not to blame for this problem of everything rotting or falling apart. The one who is really to blame is the false god that the Gnostics call the Demiurge. The true God created a world without rotting, decaying, or dying. But the false god created with imperfections, so his creation, the universe of matter, is flawed. When the Demiurge saw how his creation was corrupt, full of death and disease, and beings that must live by killing and eating other beings, he was shocked but had no way to correct the problem. Only the real God can, and will, correct the error.
Don’t Expect Permanency in Material Things
Aurelius is telling us that since the very nature of the realm of matter is change and change which is usually in the form of decay and destruction, we should not be surprised or angry when it happens. That is easy to say, but I know from personal experience that it is not easy to avoid getting angry or upset when a refrigerator stops working, a pet dies, or a tire only a few months old has a blowout. I must work to remind myself that such is the nature of the corrupt world of matter, as must all of us.
Another Way to Look at Change
While it is true that change is almost always in the direction of decay, death, and destruction, we must remind ourselves that there is another side to it. All beings, all things, have a spirit, and spirits never die. While it is not true that all people go to Heaven simply because they have physically died, still, they all have an immortal spirit. When animals and plants die, their spirits usually enter another life form being born and therefore continue. Eventually, all spirits return to the Spiritual Realm where there is no death or decay, no illness, no pain. So when things are falling apart around you, remind yourself that you are only here temporarily, so don’t let it get to you.
Solving the Problem
Just because everything decays here, doesn’t mean there is nothing we can do about it. There are things we can do, and should. We can avoid littering and wasting. We can contribute to growth in the world by planting gardens or trees. We can adopt, or otherwise care for one or more animals. Most of all, we can try to keep ourselves physically and mentally healthy and slow down our personal decay and corruption. And we can aid God in redeeming this realm of matter and returning it to the realm of spirit where there is no corruption.
