Human feelings are like water, rising and falling with circumstance; worldly affairs are like clouds, gathering and scattering without permanence. An ancient poet once wrote: "What is there to fight over on a snail's horn? This life is but a spark striking stone." We occupy but a tiny space in the vast universe; our time here is as brief as a shooting star.
Why waste this fleeting existence on chasing status, wealth, or power? Why measure others by their usefulness to us? True wisdom lies in recognizing the transient nature of all things. When we understand that people's favor shifts like water, we stop clinging to rank. When we see that events unfold like drifting clouds, we can embrace change with ease.
In this short life, let us not be enslaved by vanity or ambition. Instead, cultivate a quiet mind, cherish genuine connections, and find peace in the present moment. For in letting go of what cannot last, we discover what truly endures.