Once upon a time there was a King who said to his court:
"I like beautiful rings, and I' bought one of the most beautiful diamonds in the world, and I want to hide a message in the ring. The message should serve me in times of desperation and is to serve my successors. It must be a short sentence I can conceal in the ring."
All those who listened were very clever. They could all write passages, but not a short sentence no longer than three or four words that can assist someone in times of despair.
They all thought hard about it and couldn't find a suitable sentence.
The King had been brought up by an old servant. The King's mother had died at and early age and the servant took care of him. Therefore, he was treated as part of the family. The King had tremendous respect for the servant and so he consulted him too.
The old man said "I'm not wise or scholarly or educated, but I do know of a suitable message. During my life in the palace I've met all sorts of people, and once I met a wizard who was invited by your father. To thank me, he gave me this message." The old servant wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to the King. "But don't read it!" He said. "Keep it hidden in the ring and open it only when you have no other choice."
Soon after, the kingdom was invaded and the King started to lose the battle. He fled on his horse followed by his enemies. He was alone and his enemies were many. With no other choice, a cliff ahead of him and no return, he remembered the ring, dislodged the piece of paper and read the short message: "This too shall pass."
As soon as he read the message, he felt a great silence envelop him. His enemies got lost in the woods and their horses were nowhere to be heard. The King was thankful for his old servant and the wizard's message. These words were incredible. He put the piece of paper back under the diamond.
The day he got back to the castle, feeling victorious, he was greeted with a big celebratory feast. He felt great! The old servant stood next to him and said "This moment too begs for another look at the hidden message."
The King replied: "Now that I'm in victory, people are celebrating, I'm neither desperate nor in a no-options situation. Why would I look at the message again?"
"Your Majesty," the servant said gently," this message is relevant both in times of despair and in good times." The King read the message on the paper again. "This too shall pass." The King felt the great internal silence he had felt before. Though he was celebrating, his pride and ego disappeared. He felt humbled to have the opportunitiy to be in that moment of celebration.
As he sensed the whisper of the eternal cycle of life, the King understood the message.
The old servant leaned and asked: "Do you remember everything that happened to you? No thing and no emotion are permanent. Same as day and night, so are the good and bad moments. Receive them as a natural thing, because they are a natural part of life."
With the wisdom of a thousand years, he added. "Impermanence, your majesty, is permanent."
carolina caetano 2020
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