Wisdom lies in accepting the impermanent nature of existence from "summary" of Waking Up by Sam Harris
The fundamental characteristic of human consciousness is its impermanence. Thoughts, sensations, emotions, and perceptions arise and pass away from one moment to the next. This is not an abstract principle; it is a matter of moment-to-moment experience. We can be aware of the ceaseless change in the contents of consciousness, but we rarely pay attention to the consciousness itself. The nature of one's own mind may be the most elusive thing that anyone can investigate, but it is also the most important. To be ignorant of the nature of one's mind is to be ignorant of the nature of everything. This is why an understanding of the nature of consciousness is the most important thing that one can seek to understand. It is a fact that our bodies are constantly changing and will one day die. The impermanence of our bodies is undeniable, but the impermanence of our minds is less obvious. To discover the truth of our minds, we must investigate our experience with the same rigor that we apply to the study of the external world. The impermanent nature of consciousness has been known to contemplatives for thousands of years, but it is only recently that science has begun to confirm their insights. The realization of this impermanence has profound implications for ou...
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