“This, too, will pass”

I recently read “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle.

I’ve been meaning to read it for long, but somehow just never got around doing it. Right after my break up, however, I felt pulled to it. Funny, how some things are just waiting for us to be ready for them.

I loved the book. A lot of insights that I needed to hear at that time.

And among all the beautiful ideas, there was this one sentence that I just couldn’t get out of my head: “This, too, will pass”

If you’re struggling with anything right now, you probably feel as the pain and suffering are never going to go away. That it’s gonna last forever (or at least for very long).

We underestimate the power of time. Look back at your life. How many obstacles have you overcome? No matter how hard it was, with time you found your peace.

So you know that nothing lasts forever, and whatever pain you’re feeling now is only temporary.

It is always good to be reminded of it. It brings a bit of peace.

But there is more to this quote.

Just like the bad moments don’t last forever, neither do the good ones.

You might have been in an amazing loving relationship that ended. Or had a great job and suddenly found yourself jobless. Maybe somebody you deeply cared about passed away.

“This, too, will pass”.

Nothing lasts forever. Nothing is stable or unmovable. On the contrary, everything changes.

Knowing that nothing will last forever, that at one point it will come to an end, brings a weird sensation of peace and calmness. It makes you stop fighting what is and simply accept it.

It allows you to appreciate everything more in your life. You start looking at every good moment as a true gift. You are not entitled to anything. It’s not God’s duty to give you. It’s not something you deserve or you should get.

The fact that you can live this moment is a gift from the Universe to you.

If you look at every event this way, you will cherish every day. If your love story lasted only few months, rather than contemplating and hurting why it was so short, you will feel gratitude that you got to experience it for so long.

And if a person close to your heart is struggling with a fatal disease, you will be thankful for ever day you have with them, rather than blaming God that he’s taking that person away.

Remember, nothing is yours. You don’t have the right to own anything. Everything you get in life is a gift and should be treated like one. Look at things with gratitude rather than blame.

Don’t get too attached.

Now you might have read that attachment is the source of suffering. I don’t believe that attachment is bad. I believe it’s beautiful. It’s what makes parents take care of their children, and couples stay together for 50 years and longer even though they are not as crazy in love as they were when they first met.

However, be ready to let go. Remember, it wasn’t yours to start with. No matter what experience you’re going through, you’re borrowing it from the Universe. It’s not your property. So when the time comes to say goodbye, do just that. Say goodbye.

Don’t allow anything external to dictate your life, and especially your happiness. Don’t allow yourself to become depended on something or somebody. Get attached, but don’t get addicted.

Remember, everything in you life will pass. Accept it. It’s the first step to true peace of heart.