These Too Shall Pass

By: Ronan C. Relova
        Master Teacher II,
       English Dept. – MNCHS

                   Life always gives us some of the most unconventional ways of opening our minds to its complexities and challenges. It always concocts the most unusual brews of trials and difficulties in order for us to open our minds and find the solutions for them.

                    Being a teacher, we oftentimes encounter numerous problems in the system. From meeting deadlines on the submission of forms and reports, to the way we deal with the people around us; we always have concerns that we ought to resolve in order to make the flow of our work child and teacher-friendly, holistically.

                        The recent years have brought challenges that have caught everyone off guard. We have been plagued with the deadliest known virus to mankind in the modern times. And most of us have our faith and resolute shaken. This was not a question of how strong our devotion is, but rather a testament that human as we are, we tend to be cynical and uncertain of the things that we believe in.

                        The Covid-19 pandemic is probably one of the lowlights of this generation. The education system has been tasked to do drastic measures in order to ensure the continuity of the teaching-learning process. Teachers have been obliged to be more patient and lenient, especially to those who are questioning their functions during this crisis. Students have been converted to become more self-reliant and resourceful in terms of acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge they ought to have as modern learners. Parents have been delegated to become home tutors in order to safeguard the learning of their kids.

                        Everyone has resorted to make sacrifices. This is essential not only in times of adversities, but also in life, in general. We should be able to find the solutions for our everyday problems. We should know how to wait for the rainbow after the storm for nothing is permanent in this world; not even the heaviest of burdens. We should be open to the fact that everything is temporary. Not everything is going to be around forever and that all these hardships too, shall pass.

                        This mentality should be applied on both sides of the coin. As much as no problem is going to be forever, no pleasure is also going to last a lifetime. We may be experiencing blissful moments that seem infinite, but they will surely come to an end, eventually. We may think that our intimate relationships are at their peak but there will be days when everything will crash and it will be dreadful. We may say that everything is easy and smooth sailing with our work, but it will all suddenly become difficult and stormy and may also seem to be never ending. We may consider that everything we have now is perfect, but then we will be bombarded with problems that will come one after the other. These are just some testimonials that happiness, too, shall pass.

                        We will be constantly riding the wheel of life. We may sometimes be on top or at the bottom. But, as they say, everything is temporary. Whatever we are experiencing now does not define the life we will be living to the end. We may be living in gold and riches now, but may be on the streets, homeless, in the future. We may be begging for food now, but may be sharing our blessings to others tomorrow. No matter where we are in life, it is how we deal with it, that matters. We should know when to be thankful for what we have and be contented with what is given to us.

                        Our way of thinking makes a big impact on how we deal with life. Positivity and pessimism know no age. It is up to that person to learn how to deal with the complexities of the things around. This does not only test him/her of knowing how to address adversities, but also prepare him/her for greater things to come.  

                        Everything passes in this world; it is up to us whether to accept it with an open heart or a skeptical mind. After all, the great Martin Luther King has left us with an obstinate reminder that “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope”.