This too, shall pass.

More Than a Bit of Folk Wisdom

I was recently reminded of the old adage, “This too, shall pass,” while reading a book on the nature of impermanence.

It’s a simple phrase. So simple, in fact, that it’s easy to hear it without really hearing it. I’d heard it many times before and used it myself over the years. This time, however, something in it caught my attention.

As I sat with the phrase, it became more than a bit of folk wisdom. It began to reveal something about the basis of much of my own suffering.

We cling to relationships, youth, possessions, identities, and moments of happiness as though they will remain unchanged. We resist uncomfortable thoughts, emotions, and situations, almost holding our breath until they pass. We try to push away what we don’t want and hold tightly to what we do.

The effort is exhausting.

The belief that we can preserve the “good” and avoid the “bad” fuels much of our anxiety, disappointment, and grief.

I began using the phrase as a kind of mantra.

At first, I noticed how easily it applied to the moments I wanted to escape. When I was uncomfortable, frustrated, worried, or discouraged, it brought a sense of relief.

“This too, shall pass.”

The storm would move on. The feeling would change. The circumstance would not last forever.

Then I noticed something unexpected.

When life felt particularly beautiful, peaceful, or joyful, the phrase had a very different effect. Instead of comfort, it brought a subtle sense of loss. It revealed how attached I had become to those moments and how much I wanted them to remain exactly as they were.

In both cases, the phrase pointed to the same truth.

Everything changes.

As I continued working with it, “This too, shall pass” became less a consolation and more a reminder to pay attention. Every thought, emotion, sensation, and circumstance comes into being, lingers for a time, and dissolves. The entire flow of life unfolds in this way.

Observing this constant movement has helped me loosen the exhausting need to control outcomes. There have been moments when I’ve stopped swimming against the current of life. Moments when I’ve stopped clinging and simply allowed myself to be carried by the flow.

In those moments there is a surprising sense of peace.

The invisible chains of attachment seem to loosen a little.

Recognizing the fleeting nature of experience has helped me stop taking ordinary moments for granted. Knowing that both joy and struggle are temporary has changed the way I meet them. The beautiful moments become more precious. The difficult moments lose some of their power.

“This too, shall pass” is helping me release the iron grip I’ve held on my life.

It is teaching me to participate in life with soft hands.