The proverb means that all material conditions, whether good or bad, are transient. This proverb has the ability to make a happy person sad and a sad person happy because of the realization that both the ‘best and worst of times’ will soon pass.
It is a quote that I love, as it is a very simple reminder for all of us that regardless of how life treats us or how we deal with it on a daily basis, it will soon pass. It tells me that “Change is the one constant in the Universe” and this aligns with my favorite line in the Bhagavad Gita “Change is the Law of the Universe“. Here is a simple story which I have loved since childhood and that has been passing over since generations without any change-
Once Akbar challenged Birbal. He asked Birbal to write a line on wall which when read in happy times makes you sad but when read in sad times makes you happy.
What would he have written to satisfy the conditions given by his king?
Birbal wrote – “This time will pass soon.”
When read in good time, you will feel sad. However, it is essential to keep the fact in the mind. Thus, do not be haughty and keep doing the good work for society.
When read in bad time, you will feel optimistic and get a morale boost that with your hard work you can change the situation.
It’s a fact of life that there are highs and lows and there always will be. When you are low sometimes you forget about the highs, but they will return. In this sense I find that this statement can bring some comfort. Knowing that all things will pass makes me appreciate the good things in life even more when I have them. It doesn’t matter whether it’s people, relationships, experiences, things, or life in general. If you know something really good won’t last forever then it makes sense to enjoy it and make the most of it while you have it because this too shall pass. And also to be grateful for it! It can help deal with the bad times knowing that they will pass, and appreciate the good times while we have them, knowing that they won’t last forever.
So stop for a moment and take a look around. Breathe. Let go. Appreciate what you have while you have it, and next time you’re feeling low remember:
“This too shall pass.”
“Learn to appreciate what you have, before time makes you appreciate what you had.”
lifeisbeautifulwritewhatyoulove 