Parable: This Too Shall Pass

Life is tough, irrespective if you have acquired the riches you desired or have been struggling with even getting the smallest task executed.

In whatever situation you find yourself in, there is a stoic approach which can keep your thoughts and reactions in check.

Like the great philosophers of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelieus, Seneca and their works this parable has kept me grounded when I was flying high in success or stopped me from digging deep into a void when things never went my way.

Hope this helps the reader in whatever situation they are in.

There was king and he once said to the court sages - ‘I have a ring with one of the finest diamonds in the world and I want to hide a message under the stone that can be useful in a situation of extreme despair. I will give this ring to my heirs and I want it to serve faithfully. Think of what kind of message will be inscribed. It must be very short to fit the ring’.

The sages knew how to write treatises but did not express themselves in one short sentence. They thought and thought, but did not come up with anything.

The king complained about the failure of his venture to a faithful old servant who raised him from infancy and was part of the family. The old man said: ‘I am not a sage, I am not educated, but I know such a message. For many years spent in the palace, I met a lot of people. And once I served a visiting mystic whom your father invited. And he gave me this message. I ask that you not read it now. Save it under the stone and open it only when there is no way out at all’.

The king listened to the old servant.

After some time, the enemies attacked the country and the king lost the war. He fled on his horse and his enemies pursued him. He was alone, his enemies were many. He rode to the end of the road. There was a deep cliff before him, if he fell there, it would be the end of him. He could not go back, as the enemies were approaching. He already heard the clatter of their horses’ hooves. He was in complete despair.

Then he remembered the ring. He opened it and found an inscription:

This Too Shall Pass

After reading the message, he felt that everything was quiet. Apparently the pursuers got lost and proceeded in the wrong direction. Horses were no longer heard.

The king was filled with gratitude to the servant and the unknown mystic. The words were powerful. He closed the ring and set out on the road. He gathered his army and returned to his state.

On the victory day, when he returned to the palace, the king arranged a magnificent meeting, a feast for the whole kingdom - the people loved their king. The king was happy and proud.

An old servant came up to him and said: ‘Even in this moment, look at the message again’.

The king said, ‘Now I am a winner, people are celebrating my return, I am not in despair, not in a hopeless situation’.

‘Listen to this servant’, said the faithful old servant. ‘The message works not only in moments when everything is bad, but also in moments of victory’.

The king opened the ring and read:

This Too Shall Pass

And again he felt a silence fall over him, although he was in the midst of a noisy feast. His pride dissolved. He understood the message. He was a wiser man.

The old servant said to the king:

‘Do you remember everything that happened to you? Nothing and no feeling is permanent. As night changes to day, moments of joy and despair replace each other. Accept them as the nature of things, as part of life’.

Original Writings from Persian Sufi Writings