This too shall pass

The origin of this famous phrase appears to be a Persian adage that reflects on the temporary nature or ephemerality of the human condition. It was notably employed in a speech by Abraham Lincoln in 1859 where he related: “It is said that an Eastern Monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: ‘And this, too shall pass away.’ How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depth of affliction!”

With all the negative news about this ongoing pandemic, we can only hope that there is a bigger plan that is in store for all of us, and this too shall pass. It is a simple phrase that bring peace and comfort as we live through this struggle. And true enough, history is replete with stories about how ends of plagues give rise to post-pandemic booms.