The Buddha says it is possible to find something that doesn’t change, and it’s going to be a happiness that doesn’t change. Trust him when he says that it’s really worth whatever effort goes into it.

"We’ve seen so much of the changes in the world, and we’ve realized that the only way the heart is going to find any true peace is to find a happiness that’s not going to change on you. The Buddha’s good news is that there is such a happiness. It does exist and it is attainable.

So as you experience grief over the way the world is changing — and when you look around you at the world at large, it is pretty discouraging. But we have to remember that each of us is creating his or her own world, and it is possible through your actions to create a world in which the deathless is possible. You’re creating a new you; you’re creating a new world. The two go together. You’ll be going beyond them at some point, but you need to use them to get beyond them, which is what the training is for.

So even though there’s some grief in the realization that you’re not there yet, it’s grief with hope, which is the opposite of depression. That’s grief with no hope at all, which is basically what’s being taught by that teaching on simply accepting everything and just being okay with the fact that everything changes — and just staying right there. That’s pretty hopeless.

Take the Buddha’s alternative, which is that it is possible to find something that doesn’t change, and it’s going to be a happiness that doesn’t change. Trust him when he says that it’s really worth whatever effort goes into it.

So, whenever we have that reflection on aging, illness, death, separation, and karma, remember: It’s there to train your heart. You remember that even though the world is full of aging, illness, death, and separation, it has something else. And that something else can be found through your own efforts.

Let that inspire both your heart and your mind."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Developing the Heart"