Transitory [ tran-si-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, -zi- ]

adjective

– not lasting, enduring, permanent, or eternal.
– lasting only a short time; brief; short-lived; temporary.

Our understanding of this life we have has been cursed from early childhood. Who among us was not taught at an early age that our lives are eternal, that we are special, that we are uniquely gifted, that we have a predestined role on this Earth? Such messages are given with love and caring, all intended to bolster young children with a sense of purpose and freedom from bad expectations. But at what price? Children are prewired to believe whatever adults teach them, which is to the good for the many skills and awareness that children need to thrive and grow. But embedding their minds with premises unknown or unreal only causes disappointment, despair, and a misunderstanding of where they stand in this life and in eternity. We can avoid those issues by just not making such statements. Yes, it’s that easy. Stop. Doing. It.

First, consider the eternity promise. Promising what you haven’t proved or seen shows nothing except your own personal hope. We serve children better by letting them grow into their lives and find their interests and priorities. Otherwise, such promises cause confusion later in life or (much worse) cause people to make their expectation of being eternal affect their other decisions in this short life. We all need to be cognizant of our transitory stay to help us make better decisions on the here and now.

I would also propose that, to encourage children to be successful in their lives, we do better by being supportive of their exposure to new ideas and new experiences. With such exposure, people will find their own areas of interest to pursue and will find their own level of performance satisfaction. Telling them that they are gifted or are on the Earth for a special purpose serves no one.

We are all the result of random selection at the time of conception: roughly 300 million sperm are secreted in the act of procreation, of which only one is needed to fertilize the egg. So, there are roughly 300 million different possible DNA combinations for the resulting child. Translation: We are all here, despite significant odds that none of us would exist. None of us.

Those are not facts we like, as they confirm that our lives are pure chance. The important component is how we choose to live this life. We are not uniquely significant; life will go on when we die, memories of us will last only briefly, and our bodies will not exist within just a few years. All we have is what we do now. By understanding our transitory experience of life, we may see the joy and opportunities in each day, knowing that we are one day closer to the end of our chapter here. Let us make each day a memorable one. This is the natural order of life.

And what of humanity as a whole? Scientists have long told us that everything is transitory. Our planet Earth cannot survive past another billion years; the sun itself has only a few billion years more. And the universe? Recent articles imply the universe itself may, at some future period, no longer exist. And there will be nothing, nothing our minds can grasp. Nothing. Can you grasp even that? Your life, your one time on Earth, is important to YOU, and that is the best we can do. So make something of it.

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:19

“For all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall.” 1 Peter 1:24.