From a quiet morning in Kamakura, a reflection on human desire, impermanence, and the limits of possession.
When I take in a deep breath of the fragrant osmanthus blossoms on a street corner, a calm settles over me.
Reading the follow-up reports about the jewel heist at the Louvre, I’m reminded that there will always be people who try to claim what should belong to all humankind.
Yet, no one can possess such things forever—at best, we merely gaze upon them during our brief time on Earth.
Someday—hopefully soon—the stolen treasures will see the light of day again.
Human life is finite, but treasures are not. In that sense, they are eternal.
Wealth may seem alluring to those who wish to monopolize it, but it exists only within the limits of life; once we die, it all comes to an end.
That applies not only to gold and jewels, but also to land and houses.
And on a larger scale, the same truth holds for nations and entire peoples.
The struggle over the small pie we call Earth continues.
Human activity keeps generating entropy, increasing disorder—but eventually, it too will fade.
It may take a long, long time, but that moment will surely come.
Or will humanity venture into the "infinite" universe, carrying this endless competition with it forever?
