This too shall pass

I was watching a documentary about a mother who’s lost her teenage son to suicide. Her son having battled depression for years. 

Through my own journey of self discovery, I’ve learnt that everything passes. Heartaches, grief, sorrow, happiness… every emotion passes. When one is stuck in a negative space, it can seem like a long dark rainy night that never ends. But it does. 

Often patience and kindness to oneself seems to be sore lacking in today’s world. With attention spans rapidly shortening and immediate gratifications promised, the act of staying present and experiencing things as they are becomes relatively impossible. 

The practice of slowing down and giving oneself a break is seen as being lazy or unproductive. Motivational and positivity videos push us into believing if I don’t get up at 5am to do 1000 push-ups, I’m a lazy loser. The striving of high achievements that promises validation and adulation defines ones worth. Or is it a lack of self worth… that requires such a lot of praise. 

Not allowing for time to smell the flowers as they say, contains a price we have to pay eventually. The constant striving and competitive nature of modern life drives a sense of constant lack. A constant feeling of not having done enough or being good enough. 

I don’t know the answer neither can I change minds. All I know is the final destination for us all is the same. Whether we did a million push ups or none at all. 

If one hasn’t lived in the moment and a constant striving for the next moment, then one is already dead before dying. Living doesn’t have to be so hard if we allow for mistakes, flaws, kindness and rest. I wonder if the child was allowed to feel bad or sad… that he would need to commit suicide? 

At risk of sounding like the anti motivational/positive speaker… I think that taking time out to smell some flowers is important. Workaholism being celebrated while rest is frowned upon seems strange. For time is but limited for us all is the truth. 

Whether 10 MBAs and 50 triathlons is the gauge for a life worth living… or one of calmness and peaceful service… is the question we will all have to answer at the end of our lives.

Namaste. M