This Too Shall Pass

According to an ancient tale, a Sufi village was attacked and captured by a group of warriors. The king of the victorious tribe called the Sufi Leaders and said that unless they could tell him what would make him “happy when he was sad, and sad when he was happy,” the entire village would be put to death the following morning.

The village people constructed a large bonfire and all night long their wise men and women pondered to come up with an answer for the King’s question.

What could make a person happy when he was sad, and sad when he was happy?

All too soon sunrise came and the king entered the village. Approaching the wise ones he asked, “Have you come up with an answer?”

One of the wise men then reached into his pouch and presented the king with a gold ring.

The king  was perplexed.

“I have no need for more gold, he shouted. “How can this ring make me happy when I am sad, and sad when I am happy?”

Then the king looked again and saw an inscription.

It read “This too shall pass.”

So it is within your life. When everything is going according to plan, savor the moments and realize that in time they will be a distant memory. And when the night is the darkest, and your business is failing, your relationship are falling apart, and you cannot imagine how things will ever improve, remember that nothing in the physical world lasts forever.

Lead From Within: Accept both the good and the bad times equally, understand that all of life’s teachings are necessary for growth.