Nothing lasts…(IM#193)

Today "Notre Dame Cathedral" was caught by a massive fire and was turned into ashes. It was a symbol of world revolution, as it had survived for over 800 years. T

he fire at Notre-Dame de Paris was a reminder that even the strongest symbols of history remain vulnerable to time, accident, and decay. For centuries, the cathedral stood through wars, revolutions, political change, and generations of human life. It appeared permanent because it outlived individual people and eras.

But permanence is often an illusion created by duration.

Many philosophical traditions recognized this reality. Buddhism teaches impermanence as one of the fundamental conditions of existence. Stoic philosophy similarly reminds us that all material things eventually change, weaken, or disappear. Civilizations rise and fall, structures collapse, and even the greatest human achievements remain temporary within time.

Yet destruction does not erase meaning completely. Physical structures may disappear, but memory, influence, history, and human significance often remain. The cathedral could be damaged, but the centuries of culture, symbolism, and human experience connected to it still survived in collective memory.

Impermanence is painful precisely because we become attached to what we hope will remain unchanged. But it also reminds us to value things while they are still present. Nothing lasts forever, yet meaning can outlive form.

PS: Heartfelt grief to the people who are related to this devastating incident.