Finality

I have been thinking lately, over the past two or three weeks, about finality. What does it really mean? When I think of the word final, I think of permanence and unchangeability.

As someone who spent most of my life in school, the first thing I think of is a final exam or final grade. There is a certain amount of relief, regardless of how poor or well you did, when you walk out of a final exam. A feeling of knowing that the course is complete and being ready to move on to the next one. In school, if you don't do well in a course, you can retake it to try to better your grade. But, there comes a time when you complete all of your courses and you must graduate. For me, graduating was always bittersweet. It was the completion of a goal that I had worked towards for several years. It was also the start of something new, moving on, change, and it was somewhat scary. But, with each graduation you become wiser and hopefully ready to meet each new adventure.

It seems like in life we are always working towards finality. After I graduate high school... after I graduate college... after my mission... after I get married... after I have kids... after the kids are grown... and so forth. But the thing about finality is, there is always something else. Even death, which most people would consider the ultimate finality, isn't really final but merely a graduation to the next step in this adventure we call life. In the grand scheme of things, finality is merely a stepping stone to our next adventure, whatever that may be.

That's my two cents.