Buddhist musings

I was having a conversation with someone earlier this morning when it occurred to me that we often use the phrase "all good things must come to an end" but we don't really say the same thing about bad things. Instead we might say, "this too shall pass." Hmmm. While they pretty much convey the same thing, we say them in very different ways. We long for the good things to last forever but can't wait to get past the negative - in the end, nothing lasts. In Buddhism there is this underlying understanding of impermanence, but I'd never noticed it in Western Christianity until this morning. I don't think it's the same at all - I think we remember this impermanence when it's thrust in our faces or when we feel like it helps us. For the most part, though, we go about our lives as though we're going to live forever - or at least for a good while longer. What would it mean if we really had an understanding that nothing lasts? Would we hold grudges as long? Would we go out and find that dream job? Would we stay in a relationship that wasn't really working? Would we go to church each week or meditate each day? I wonder...