A Persian adage was used in 1859 at an address to the Wisconsin Sate Agricultural Society in Milwaukee by Lincoln: “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 for 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 depths of affliction!”, and so it was recorded.
This is/was a Persia adage. How I loved that period of history as a child in a Catholic elementary school learning about the “cradle of civilization.”
The words are still so appropriate and, again, timely. I happen to be a political junkie and collect quotes to round out my writing. But lately, though, I find political quotes are taken directly from the Bible, any version, but with no attribution nor recognition of the source.
So while some of us may be thinking ‘this too shall pass’ as respects COVID-19, we also know and are seeing good transitional changes. Talk with family and friends and ask them how relationships have grown with empathy as we realize we are all stressed.
Perhaps, a good analogy might be the Recorder’s article on Sept. 16, “Parched season — perfect for peaches.” This dry season has had an incredible benefit to our valley’s peach growers. We have sweeter fruit as the lack of excess water causes the sugars to become more concentrated. Additionally, as the article reported, there is less spraying in the integrated pest management with less rainfall.
Ah, life is bitter and sweet.
Marguerite Willis
Charlemont