Toh-may-tow vs Toh-mah-toe
glass half
Sure, but it's also fair to say "everything fades in..." too
And we can play this sort of semantic game with anything really.
"We lose focus" vs "we gain perspective"
"The final end" vs "the new beginning"
Light can't exist without darkness
Nor can good in a vacuum without evil
If you'll pardon me shamelessly stealing a quote from an anime villain, just because I find it quite poignant:
"And what is so good about being "good" anyway? It is the selfish desire to maintain peace imposed by pacifist do-gooders that breeds dissent, and then violence, and inevitable wars -- and thus, "hate" is born to protect "love" once more. This is the nature of our reality"
So you see, as @justB already pointed out, you can always find a way to look at the glass as half-empty ot half-full - it just depends on your disposition, really.
A necessary compromise
Given this curiously dichotomous nature that permeates and perpetuates virtually every aspect of our lived experiences, I think it's far more accurate to be a realist and observe the fact that "everything changes" rather than falling prey to the pessimistic perspective ("everything fades out / glass half empty") or trying to continually maintain the optimistic alternative ("everything fades in / glass half full)
changes
Because, when taking a holistic view of this peculiar state of affairs (i.e. when not showing bias or partiality on way or the other) this is what really resonates the truest - or at least, it seems to be the most sane position to hold to someone like me.
My own personal take rambles
If you take a peek at my profile, you'll notice that on the "favorite quote" section I wrote
"πάντα ῥεῖ ☯️ vis-à-vis ♊️ fēlīx culpa"
This is actually a mixture of 3 separate phrases, as well as an amalgamation of 3 distict languages.
The first portion, in Greek, is transliterated as "panta rhei" which translates to "all flows" or "everything goes"
The second segment, in French, means "through" or "via" or "face-to-face with" or "in corresponding counterpoint to"
The third part, in Latin, literally means something like "the happy flaw" or "the blessed fault" but it has a deeper theological connotation to it. Our flaws, of course, cause us to fall from grace and fail. But we must also be sure to credit this same fatal fault for always searching, seeking, striving, for another way out, a better solution, to make amends, to redeem ourselves somehow, no matter how hopeless the case.
Or if you prefer Hebrew, we have the Yetzer Ha-Rav just as we have the Yetzer Ha-Tov (the inclination to do evil and the impulse to do good, respectively) but the most interesting point to take note here is that Adam didn't have the preference towards either when he was still just adamah i.e. a creature formed from earth or clay. It was only when God filled his nostrils with ruach (which, yes, means "the breath of life"... but more importantly, it also alludes to a "divine wind", or even a "holy spirit") that he was transformed into a living being... and, somewhere in the far recesses of his mind, now held the potential to stray. In other words, the propensity for mischief, as well as virtue and honor, is inherent in our soul, our spirit, our very essence. It is our God-given birthright and lifelong inheritance. It is who we are, through and through: wanderers wondering why we are so wayward.
yin yang
Sorry, I got stuck on the 3rd point for a while there lol. Anyway, taking all 3 together, what the heck is it that I'm trying to say exactly?
Well... It all changes. Everything flows. Nothing lasts. Not your parents, nor your children. Not the people you love, nor those you harbor hate towards. It all emerges from, and dissipates back into, the endlessly flowing river of time.
And hand in hand with this realization we eventually have to come to terms with the fact that we're not exactly an innocent and innocuous passive observer to it all. We're right in the thick of it and our choices impact how rich or how poor those experiences can be.
So accept yourself, even when you change and grow, because at your core you are still you. Be present in the moment, however magnificent the mistake or however horrifying the triumph, whether you classify the glass as half full or half empty, you drink in the moment and savor the bittersweet memory for what it is. Because "this too, shall pass"
memento mori
Or as @justB put it far more aptly, _"Memento mori" i.e. "be mindful of death". Why do you think the likes of Shakespeare had a skull by his writing desk? Trust us, it's not nearly as depressing as the advice may sound lol. Indeed, it's actually an incredibly rich fertilizing agent for the mind, to remind yourself of how precious and fleeting the mortal coil is. It drove his creativity, it drives my own urge to eke out every last ounce of experience in my own life, and I'm willing to bet you'll have a newfound appreciation for these "fading" moments you're still alive to be a part of too.
A toast to the the tomatoes of tomorrow!
And hey, do you know what this also means? Even if your parents, your friends, your lover, your very life "fades out..." guess what... another set of eyes are gonna open. A new life will begin, soon/long after your life ends.
And just as you didn't seem to experience anything except stillness and silence prior to you opening your own eyes and everything "faded in / began" so will it be for them. The universe of mindfulness you're experiencing right now is exactly the way it will feel behind their eyelids.
And, sure, perhaps eventually they will also get on this pessimistic bandwagon of wondering why it's all gotta "fade out" and "end" ...at which point, I imagine, another stranger like me will say the same thing to them that I'm telling you :P
tomato anime
