Read to survive!

Read so you can last through the pain

which is never far away

Read to escape

Read so you relate to reality

and learn that you are not alone

Read so you can say ‘Balls’ to the world

Read so you can return to the world, strong again!

Has anyone read ’This too shall pass?” Not too likely – it was a small 3-page story in a religious booklet that my mother was fond of subscribing to. But it was the one story that put the world into perspective for me. Now, I’m not a religious person. In a moment of boredom, I picked up the story and held it close to my bosom for the rest of my life.

“This too shall pass.”

A wedding ring with the words inscribed ‘This too shall pass’ - given by a husband to his wife - helped them navigate life, never letting the sorrows get them down because ‘this too shall pass’. Never getting carried away by the joys because ‘this too shall pass’. Deaths, births, all subsumed by the one philosophy.

It kept me sane through some difficult periods of my life. The grief of losing a loved one, a career that went downhill, an unhappy relationship. Nothing unusual there. But knowing that ‘this too shall pass’, I could keep my life on an even keel, fighting spirit intact.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had my share of black thundercloud days, days I didn’t get out of bed, days I didn’t want to face the world. No amount of philosophy helps on such days. The trick is to keep these under control. And it was the one story that helped me balance, maintain my equilibrium as life buffeted me through various storms.

That applied to the highs too. I’ve had my share of joys, successes, positive relationships too. Not getting carried away was the key because after all ‘this too shall pass’ and what then?

Life is all about riding the crest and surviving the troughs. All one needs to remember is ‘This too shall pass’.