Once we accept that we are passing through, humility follows naturally. If our stay is temporary, then status, arguments, and rivalries lose some of their weight, not because they are unreal, but because they are not ultimate. This echoes Buddhist teachings on impermanence; the Dhammapada (compiled c. 3rd century BC) repeatedly emphasizes how swiftly conditions change and why attachment creates suffering.
Accordingly, the proverb doesn’t preach detachment as coldness; it suggests a clearer sense of proportion. We can care deeply while remembering that nothing—good or bad—remains fixed. [...]
