Temporary versus Permanent

As we discussed in class the other day, the characters in the novel, Power, each hold varying opinions on whether or not he/she should hold onto the traditional roots and, if so, how to go about this. During this discussion, for me the concept of permanence versus temporary unfolded in my mind. What is permanent? Is anything permanent? In writing, here is what I have come up with. In no way is they a fully conclusive answer. However, it begins to scratch the surfaces of these questions:

Permanence. As humans, we can never fully comprehend the meaning of this because no earthly object, situation, or person is permanent. Earth is not permanence. Rather, earth is a temporary environment. Each day, our lives shift. We become different with each passing second. We always change. Our minds constantly transform, perhaps for the better and sometimes for the worse. No, as humans, we cannot completely understand the meaning of permanence. We cannot relate to it. We can empathize with this feeling, but nothing here on earth will last. 

Temporary. This is what we know. In the moments that this becomes starkly apparent, that nothing can be permanent, a kind of fear can build in our chests, making us desperate for the permanent, for the eternal. But we have been given permanence. As a Catholic Christian, I believe the permanence lies in God and the promise of eternal life. Yet, for now, on earth, we are temporary. We know only temporary. The temporary makes us fear, but we must have hope because we have already been promised Permanence.