Tuesday 23 April 2013

Almost everything is impermanent

One of our household's favourite mantras is the old chestnut,
Everything is impermanent.
It can be genuinely helpful in times of stress. It can also be said with a wry smile, when you've nowt else to say.

I was in the latter mode yesterday, when my oldest was complaining hysterically that my youngest had broken his lego tower. But on hearing my ever-so-ironic response, he came right back at me:
What about permanent marker?
(We'd had a little chat about permanent marker some hours earlier, in relation to scribbling on walls.) In any event, he'd got me - I could think of no comeback.

So now, acknowledging the boundlessness of my son's spiritual wisdom, I officially propose a Buddhist aphorism for the 21st century:
Everything is impermanent, except permanent marker.