Transience is the force of time that makes a ghost of every experience. There was never a dawn, regardless how beautiful or promising, that did not grow into a noontime. There was never a noon that did not fall into afternoon. There was never an afternoon that did not fade toward evening. There never was a day yet that did not get buried in the graveyard of the night. In this way transience makes a ghost out of everything that happens to us.
Transience, the passage of time, transforms every experience into a fleeting memory. No matter how beautiful a moment, like dawn, it inevitably transitions into noon, leading to afternoon, and ultimately fading into night. Each phase of the day is a reminder that nothing lasts, and time continuously erases the vibrancy of our experiences, making them feel ghostly and distant. This concept is poignantly expressed in John O'Donohue's "Anam Cara," which reflects on the ephemeral nature of life.
O'Donohue illustrates that every day progresses toward its end, emphasizing the inevitability of change and decay. The idea that moments we cherish eventually slip away into the past evokes a sense of nostalgia and loss. Despite the beauty of each phase of life, transience serves as a reminder that we must appreciate and embrace the present, while understanding that it will soon become just a memory, allowing us to reflect meaningfully on our experiences.
