The World of Impermanence

“Is it okay to stay like this?”

Anxiety that visits in fleeting moments. It may be the fear of being left behind by a changing world, or it may be the frustration with an unchanging daily routine. Unconsciously, we seek “stability” and feel a sense of security in “things not changing.”

However, the truth is brutally singular: There is nothing in this world that does not change.

Just as the seasons turn, just as our cells are replaced, and just as business rules change, the environment surrounding us and we ourselves are changing moment by moment. “Impermanence”—will you fear this inescapable law as an “enemy,” or ride it as an “ally”? The difference in this perception determines the degree of freedom in your life.

In this article, we will dig deeper than ever before into mindsets and concrete strategies to release the mind that fears change and to surf the fluid world lightly.

Key Points of This Article

• Stability is an illusion: “Stability” premised on things not changing is the most fragile state in a constantly changing real world.
• The prison called “Self”: A fixed self-image (ego) hinders growth. It is necessary to reframe yourself as “updatable software.”
• Recommendation for Imperfectionism: Perfect preparation is eternally impossible. The “beta version” way of life—thinking while running and creating while breaking—is the strongest adaptation strategy.
• Anxiety about the future is “delusion”: The future cannot be carved out by worrying about an unsubstantial future, but only by intensely focusing on the moment of “here and now.”

1. The World of Impermanence and Understanding It: Why We Fear Change

The Universe’s Basic OS is “Change”

“All things are impermanent” (Shogyō Mujō). This phrase, handed down since ancient times, is not merely a religious teaching but the physical law of the universe itself.

From the perspective of physics, all matter is vibration of elementary particles and is not still for even a moment. From the perspective of biology, most of the cells in our body are replaced in about three months. The you of yesterday and the you of today are different, even physically.

Nevertheless, our brains dislike “change.” This is because, in primitive times, environmental changes were risks directly linked to “death.” Going to an unknown place might mean being attacked by beasts; eating new food might mean poison. That is why the brain is programmed to prioritize “maintaining the status quo.”

The Risk of “Maintaining the Status Quo” in Modern Times

However, in modern society, this instinct works counterproductively. In an era where technology evolves exponentially and yesterday’s correct answer becomes today’s incorrect answer, “not changing” becomes the greatest risk.

Accepting impermanence is not about giving up. Rather, it is about acknowledging that “change is natural” and utilizing that energy. Like a canoe that stops swimming against the river’s flow and moves by riding the current. When you understand impermanence, fear turns into curiosity.

2. The Limits of “Common Sense” That Resists Change: Discard the Old Map

Thought Suspension Called Common Sense

“If you graduate from a good university and join a large company, you are safe for life.” “You should marry by 30.” “You are a full-fledged adult when you own a home.” These “common senses” we firmly believe in are nothing more than “temporary success laws” that held true only during a specific period—the high economic growth period—and under specific environments.

Many people try to reach their destination clutching old maps even though the world has changed. And they lament, “I’m following the map, so why did I hit a cliff?” It’s not that the map is wrong, nor that you are bad. Simply, the terrain has changed (the world has changed).

The Importance of Unlearning

What is needed in an era of change is, more than learning new knowledge, discarding old knowledge and success experiences (unlearning). The experience that “this worked well before” is precisely what shackles new challenges.

Have the courage to doubt common sense. Falling into a suspension of thought because “everyone else is doing it” is like letting go of the helm in a storm. The flexibility (suppleness) to think with your own head, look at the current situation with your own eyes, and choose the optimal solution for that moment is the true liberal arts of the modern age.

3. Ego and Impermanence: You Are Not a “Fixed Noun” But a “Changing Verb”

There Is No “True Self” Anywhere

There is a phrase “finding oneself,” but it is an illusion that if you search, you will find a solid “self as a core” somewhere. Even if you dig deep into your existence like peeling an onion, what remains at the end is “nothingness.”

We are the fluid process itself, constantly being shaped by environment, relationships, and experiences. Just as the you of 10 years ago and the you of today are different, the you of 10 years from now will have different values from the you of today.

Lighten Your Identity

Labeling yourself saying “I am this kind of person” or “I am bad at this” becomes a curse that narrows your own potential. The more you cling to a fixed identity (ego), the more painful adapting to change becomes.

Think more lightly. Like a smartphone app, you can update yourself anytime. There is no need to cling to the version 1.0 of yourself. If there are bugs, fix them; if new functions are needed, add them. The attitude of not viewing yourself as a “finished product” but continuing to improve while enjoying yourself as an eternal “beta version” accelerates growth.

4. Liberation from Common Sense: The Courage to Act Even If Imperfect

Perfectionism Is the Flip Side of “Fear”

“I’ll start when I’m ready.” “I’ll try after studying more.” While thinking this, opportunities pass by. The true identity of perfectionism is the “fear” of failing and getting hurt. However, in an era of rapid change, perfect preparation is eternally impossible.

When walking through a forest without a map, if you stop and wait for a detailed map to be made, the sun will set. First take a step, confirm the surrounding scenery, and decide the next step. Only this “thinking while running” approach works.

Failure Is Just Feedback

There is a maxim in Silicon Valley: “Fail Fast.” If you fail fast, you can correct that much faster and get closer to the right answer.

Even if you act and it doesn’t go well, it is not a “failure” but valuable data (feedback) that “I learned this is not the way.” Allow yourself to be imperfect. The figure of muddy trial and error is the most human and beautiful.

5. A Way of Life Enjoying Impermanence: Fluidity Not Bound by Specialization

The Fragility of the Specialist

In the past, mastering one specialized field was the royal road to success. However, due to technological innovation, the risk that specific skills become worthless overnight is increasing. A warrior with only one weapon is rendered powerless the moment the battlefield changes.

Change Shape Like Water

What is required in the coming era is a way of being like “water” that does not cling to specific titles and changes roles freely according to the situation.

Leading as a leader at times, supporting as a supporter at times, learning as a student at times, and creating as a creator at times. A person who has multiple faces, combines multiple skills, and can “edit” and provide the optimal self for the occasion. That is the truly tough “individual” that AI cannot replace.

6. How to Face Anxiety About the Future: The Power of “Here and Now”

Anxiety Is an Illusion Created by the Brain

It is said that 90% of the anxiety we feel is “needless worry” about things that will not actually happen. Anxiety is a bug in the brain caused by negatively imagining a future that has not yet come.

Regretting the past cannot change the past. Worrying about the future will not make the future better. The only thing we can control is “this moment, right now.”

Mindful Living

When eating, focus on tasting. When walking, focus on the sensation of the soles of your feet. When conversing, pour all your nerves into the other person’s words. By concentrating consciousness on “here and now” like this (mindfulness), you can stop the brain from running wild and regain peace of mind.

The best preparation for the future is not to worry about the future, but to pour all your effort into today’s tasks and make today a masterpiece. The desired future appears only beyond that accumulation.

7. Knowing Impermanence and Adapting in a Flood of Information

Decluttering Information

It is said that modern people are exposed to an amount of information in one day that people in the Edo period obtained in a lifetime. However, most of that information is noise to your life.

Others’ gossip, sensational news, ads fueling anxiety. Continuing to bathe in these defenselessly is like continuing to feed your brain junk food. You need to consciously shut out information (digital detox) and train the filter to select only the “signals” truly necessary for you.

Trust Your Intuition

Logic and data are merely accumulations of the past. In an era where unprecedented changes occur, there are increasing scenes where your gut feeling, or “intuition,” is more correct than analysis based on past data.

Stop if you feel something is off. Dive in if you feel excited. Polish the sensitivity to listen to the voice of your body and your inner voice. That becomes the compass to cross the raging sea of information.

8. Next Actions: Work to Become Free Starting Today

Understanding the concept alone will not change your life. Here, we propose concrete and practical actions.

① Write a “Let Go” List

Discard old things to make space to start new things. Unused items, relationships kept only out of obligation, habits continued by inertia, and fixed ideas of “how things should be.” Perform a ritual of writing them down on paper and crossing them out with a red line one by one.

② Experience a Small “First Time” Every Day

Routine ages the brain and increases the fear of change. Change your route home, enter a shop you’ve never entered, read a book in a genre you’ve never read. By incorporating trivial “first times” into daily life, the brain learns change as “fun,” and adaptability increases.

③ Adopt “Maybe” Thinking

Even if something bad happens, don’t decide “this is the worst.” Acquire the habit of thinking with “maybe” at the end, like “This maybe a new chance” or “This maybe an opportunity to learn.” By softening how you perceive things, the mental flexibility to turn any situation into a positive one is cultivated.

When you accept impermanence, the world changes from a threat to a playground filled with infinite possibilities. Now, jump out of the fixed frame, ride the wind of change, and begin your own free journey.