In the article “The Impermanence is the point,” Vidya Sethi reflects on the idea that things in real life are temporary and that their temporary nature is what gives them meaning. At first , the idea of impermanence can sound sad or even discouraging. People often want things to last forever such as relationships, memories, happiness, and even life itself. However, Sethi explains that the fact that things do not last forever is actually what makes them meaningful and beautiful. The reading made me reflect on how I view time, memories, and the small moments in life that pass by so quickly but stay with us.
One quote that stood out to me was when Sethi writes, "Impermanence is not a flaw in life, but the very thing that gives it depth and meaning” (Sethi). This quote made me pause because it challenges the way many people normally view change. For me personally, change is hard. I like things to stay the same. I feel like change takes away the nostalgic feeling of something that was once there. Usually when something ends people feel sad and disappointed. But Sethi argues that endings are actually what makes experiences meaningful. If things lasted forever, they might not feel as special.
Another part of the essay that stood out to me is how the author connects impermanence to everyday experiences. The article reflects on moments that seem ordinary while they are happening at the moment but become meaningful later. The author explains that these experiences matter because they are temporary and unique. Sethi suggests that the beauty of life comes from the fact that moments pass and cannot be recreated in the exact same way (Sethi). This idea made me think about how often people overlook the present moments because they are more focused on what the future might bring.
The imagery and reflection in the essay helps communicate the author’s message in a clear way. Instead of using complicated language, Sethi describes experiences that readers can easily connect to. This writing style helps the reader imagine how impermanence appears in everyday life. For example, people often realize the importance of a moment only after it has already passed. This could be something as simple as a conversation with a friend or a period of life that eventually comes to an end. These examples help show how temporary experiences can still have a long lasting impact.
While reading the article, I started thinking about how society often tries to fight against impermanence. People take pictures, record videos, and document their lives so they can preserve memories. Social media also encourages people to capture every moment so they could have something to look back on. This raises an interesting question for me: does documenting experiences help people appreciate them more, or does it sometimes prevent them from fully experiencing the moment? If someone is always trying to record a moment, they may miss the feeling of being present.
Another idea that stood out to me is the way the article encourages readers to slow down and pay attention to the present moment. In modern life people often move quickly from one task to another. Work, school, and responsibilities can make life feel rushed. Because of this, people may not notice the small interactions and experiences happening around them. Sethi’s essay reminds readers that meaning can often be found in simple, everyday moments. She suggests that “accepting the temporary nature of life can help people appreciate what they have while it lasts” (Sethi).
The essay also made me wonder about a few things. If impermanence is what gives life meaning, why do people spend so much time trying to make things permanent? For example, people take pictures of everything, record videos, and constantly post on social media. Sometimes it feels like people are more focused on saving the moment than actually experiencing it. It made me think about whether documenting life helps us remember things better, or if it sometimes distracts us from the present.
Reading this essay also made me reflect on my own life. Sometimes it is easy to take everyday experiences for granted, especially when life feels busy and stressful. People often assume there will always be another opportunity to spend time with someone or enjoy a certain moment. Because of this it makes me think of how important it is to slow down and appreciate the present instead of always worrying about what comes next.
Overall, “The Impermanence Is the Point” made me think differently about change and time. Moments are valuable because they do not last forever. After reading the essay, it made me realize that it might be important to slow down and appreciate experiences while they are happening instead of worrying about the future.
This piece was inspired by my own thoughts about time and how fast things change. In my life I’ve noticed that moments don’t last long, and sometimes I don’t realize how important those moments are until they’re over. That's why the idea of impermanence really connected to me. I related it to my own life experiences, like spending time with the people I care about or going through different stages of life. Those personal experiences helped shape how I wrote this essay and the examples that I chose to include.
One personal experience that connects to this topic is how I’ve started to notice how fast different moments in my life pass, especially with family, friends, and when I moved from my childhood home. There have been times where I was just hanging out with friends or spending time with my family and didn’t think much of it in the moment, but later I felt nostalgic thinking back on it and realized how important those moments really were. As a teenager I spent a lot of my time in my old bedroom with my close friends. My walls were covered in boy band posters, and my room always smelled like Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body Works. We would lay on the floor or on my bed and watch horror movies all night until the sun came up. We would also go to the mall with only about $25 to our name and still find a way to have fun and make the most of what we had. Looking back on those times now it really makes me realize how much I should've lived more in those moments and truly appreciated them.
Moving made me realize how quickly things can change because I had to leave behind a place I used to call home. Change has always been something I struggled with because I prefer things to stay the same. Even today I still have trouble with things changing. Three years ago in April, I moved from my childhood home into a new house. Leading up to the big move I was so excited. When the day finally came it felt surreal to finally move into a new house. I also felt sad because I had made so many memories in my old home. I knew that house like the back of my hand. I knew every spot and crevice and if I were to walk through it with my eyes closed I would know exactly where everything was placed. I made so many memories there from being a young child to going through teenage phases, and even becoming a young adult. Even now everytime I pass down that street the house and the yard still look the same and I get a strong sense of nostalgia just by looking at it and remembering all the fun times I had there. This experience showed me how difficult change is for me, especially when it means I’m leaving behind something so familiar and meaningful. I just wished I would’ve cherished those moments a little better. When I think back on those moments I get a nostalgic feeling and that's what made me connect more deeply with the idea of impermanence while writing this essay.
I was also influenced by how society looks at time and memories. As I’ve mentioned before, in today’s time people are always taking pictures and posting on social media to save moments. I see this happening a lot around me, and I’ve done it too. While writing this I started thinking about whether we actually enjoy moments or just try to capture them. This made me include ideas about how people might miss being present because they are too focused on recording everything.
When it comes to my writing process, I tried to keep my ideas clear and easy to understand. I didn’t want to use complicated words because I wanted the readers to relate and get a good understanding of what I was trying to say. I focused on explaining the main idea of impermanence and connecting it to everyday life. One challenge I had was organizing by thoughts, but I worked through it by focusing on one idea at a time and building my paragraphs around it.
Another influence on my writing was the article itself. The author used simple examples of reflections, which helped me understand the message better. I tried to do something similar by including examples that people can easily picture, like conversations or everyday moments. This helped me explain my thoughts in a more relatable way.
Overall, this essay shows how I’ve started to think differently about time and change. Writing it helped me realize that not everything needs to last forever to be meaningful. Moving forward I want to keep improving my writing by being more detailed and adding stronger examples. I also want to continue writing about topics that connect to real life because it makes my writing feel more personal and meaningful.
Tari Donahue is a student at Houston City College studying Health Sciences and plans to pursue a career as an ultrasound technician in the medical field.