One of my occupations is operating various motorized vehicles, and something I have been finding is that, especially because I live in a temperate rainforest, those vehicles have a habit of oxidizing over time, requiring various maintenance, weatherproofing, and repairs. While this is quite inconvenient regarding the continued function of those vehicles, I have been realizing that it is also reflective of the active (not passive!) nature of matter. The metals, plastics, and various other materials that these machines are made up of are constantly interacting with solar radiation, chemically interacting with water and oxygen gas, and warming and cooling (and radiating themselves!). They are never sitting doing ‘nothing’ like some kind of platonic solid.
Everywhere and always these subtle interactions are occurring.
So despite my efforts to make them last forever in a particular state that is to my liking, they continue to change, constantly vibrating and undergoing chemical changes to become something different than they were a moment ago. I can clearly see that this process is fundamental to the nature of the universe, so to be annoyed by it is to be forever annoyed. It’s quite funny to consider being annoyed by the fact that matter is not merely passive!