THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity.

Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, “Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies.” The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, “If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be fitter for use when you want it.” 

 Start by setting aside a special time to relax physically and renew yourself emotionally and spiritually. You will be at your best if you have taken time to loosen the bow.

Isn’t true that we are so tightened that our bow of life tend to be broken?

I shall suggest a simple test for you to find whether your bow of life is very tight! Can you sleep well for at least five hours every day without taking any drugs or alcohol? (I am not speaking about people who have pain in the body because of their sickness. I am aware of such people who are deprived of sleep.) If so, slacken yourself. This universe was there before you were born; it shall be there even after you leave.

You might have heard the adage "This too shall pass". It indicates that all material conditions, positive or negative, are temporary. (The legend of the quote finds its roots in the court of a powerful eastern Persian ruler who called his wise men to him, including the Sufi poet Attar of Nishapur, and asked them for one quote that would be accurate at all times and in all situations. The wise men consulted with one another, and threw themselves into deep contemplation, and finally came up with the answer "this too, shall pass". The ruler was so impressed by the quote that he had it inscribed in a ring.)

It is a prudent reminder for us all that regardless of how the serendipity of life has dealt with us, it will soon pass. It aligns with what the poet Rudyard Kipling said in his poem "IF" ...

        If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;

       If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
       If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
      And treat those two impostors just the same...