When you’re in the middle of some 5 star copper-plated shitstorm from which there seems to be no escape, is there anything more annoying than a member of your fellowship parroting “This Too Shall Pass” at you?
In a brave and possibly unwise departure from previous practice, I’ve actually done some research on this slogan (if typing it into Google constitutes research).
Ready for a story? Gather round, dear readers…
King Solomon decided to humble his minister Benaiah Ben Yehoyada. He asked him to bring a certain ring to him in time for the festival of Sukkot, 6 months hence. A magic ring. A ring which if a happy man looked at it, he became sad, and if a sad man looked at it, he became happy. Apparently Solomon knew that there was no such ring, but thought that 6 months fruitless schlepp would bring Benaiah down a peg or two. Must have been a King thing. Benaiah searched, but the days ticked by, and still no ring. On the night of Sukkot, crestfallen, he decided to take a walk. He happened upon some wretched snivelling merchant, no doubt with a comedy beard, and decided to take a punt. “Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?”. The merchant produced a plain gold ring and engraved something on it. When Benaiah read the words, his face broke out in a broad smile. Off he went to see Soloman. “So Benaiah, did you find what I sent you after?” asked Solomon. The rest of the Cabinet snorted with barely-concealed hilarity. Solomon allowed a kingly smile to play across his lips. Benaiah, no doubt milking the moment like United Dairies following a four day power cut, held up the simple ring. “I have it here, your majesty!” Solomon took the ring. He read the inscription. His smile evaporated. There were three Hebrew letters: gimel, zayin, yud, signifiying the words “Gam zeh ya’avor” - “This too shall pass.” Solomon realised that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.
Whilst I enjoyed being Sunday School teacher there, the fact that “This Too Shall Pass” swings both ways, and happy as well as unhappy times are transitory, is perhaps a take on the slogan that I hadn’t fully acknowledged before. I’ve learned in recovery to know that those bleak, dark, seemingly hopeless moments are going to pass. I need to bear in mind that if I’m relying on external factors to feel good, those are going to pass too at some point. I feel like I’m sounding rather like Polonious dishing out advice to Hamlet here, but the slogan reminds us that happiness is an inside job, the bad feelings are gonna pass, but so are the good ones, and we need to focus on taking it one day at a time and living in the now. OK, Polonious crossed with Garth from Wayne’s World.
Talking of bleak, dark, seemingly hopeless moments, my mild man-flu is pretty much over. And I thought it would never end. Don’t worry, I’m not going to inflict The Smith’s “Still Ill” on you (the soundtrack to many harrowing bouts of conjunctivitis, half-hearted fevers & non-specific aches). Here’s my favourite man-flu soundtrack, the brilliant BMX Bandits‘ “Serious Drugs”. As a bonus for Bandits’ fans who are familiar with the original from 1993’s “Life Goes On“, I have an alternative mix from the B-side to 2007’s “Take Me to Heaven”, a magnificently schizophrenic version with a first half a joyous thrash of buzzed up guitar, and the second half a dreamy pastoral moment between Duglas T. Stewart and Rachel Bandit. More from the Bandits in due course.
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BMX Bandits - Serious Drugs
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BMX Bandits - Serious Drugs (Other Mix)
