This Too Shall Pass
Jewish commentator Avi Solomon asks this question ...
What do Abraham Lincoln, The Ben Ish Chai from Baghdad, Fariduddin Attar, and Anton Chekhov have in common?
It turns out to be a special fondness for an ancient Jewish folktale, which goes like this:
'King Solomon once searched for a cure against depression. He assembled his wise men together. They meditated for a long time and gave him the following advice: Make yourself a ring and have thereon engraved the words 'This too will pass.' The King carried out the advice. He had the ring made and wore it constantly. Every time he felt sad and depressed, he looked at the ring, whereon his mood would change and he would feel cheerful.'— Israel Folklore Archive # 126
Solomon goes on to say how the folk tale and the phrase, "This too shall pass," Gam Zeh Yaavor in Hebrew, morphed and spread throughout the world and over the centuries, with a version of the tale eventually even making its way into a speech by President Abraham Lincoln:
It is said 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 depths of affliction!’ — An Address by Abraham Lincoln Before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, September 30, 1859
Solomon concludes:
It is easy to have recourse to the consolatory phrase 'This, too, shall pass' in times of trouble and distress, but the trick lies in remembering the phrase during the good and happy times, when it is a potent reminder to value and live life to the full.
Look to the ring and you will become wise as Solomon or Lincoln!
And it's not just the remembrance of the phrase Solomon finds impactful; it's the wearing of the ring itself, which he says "has a powerful emotionally therapeutic effect and acts as a perpetual memento vita, reminding one to appreciate and celebrate every passing moment."
It's THE perfect phrase, true at ALL time in ALL situations.
In tough times, let this timeless truth bring you hope and encouragement. In good times let it ground you in humility, for even that which is good today may quite suddenly fade and whither.
"As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal " (2 Corinthians 4:18, ESV).
Isolation and Depression at Christmas
Contrary to popular perception and medical myth, the Christmas holiday season (from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day) does not produce the highest rates of suicide. In fact, statistically December has the lowest suicide rate of any month of the year. "Christmas itself seems to have a protective effect with regard to certain types of psychopathology," say researchers.
That doesn't mean people don't get depressed at a higher rate, or resort to drug and alcohol abuse during the holiday season. The statistics bear out the truth of these realities. But it is the time immediately following the holiday season--that time of festivity letdown--when researches see the greatest uptick in suicide attempts. One large Danish study places the uptick as high as 40 percent.
Social isolation--that feeling of disconnectedness--is the single greatest predictor of holiday depression and post holiday suicide.
If you are feeling isolated--disconnected--this holiday season, remember that this season celebrates the very reality of God coming to Earth for one reason: To draw near to you! To enter into intimate fellowship with you! You are not alone!
"But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine" (Isaiah 43:1-2).
"The sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out" (John 10:3).
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 14)
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).
Looking Behind the Mask of Laughter
Much has been said about the "tears of a clown"--the notion that every comic face masks a depressed or troubled soul. The truth is, the research is contradictory at worst and inconclusive at best.
“People think comedians have these really dark personalities, but a lot of people have dark personalities and most of them don’t become comedians. You actually have to be pretty well-adjusted to be successful in the world of entertainment because it’s so competitive,” says Peter McGraw, a psychology and marketing professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and author of The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny.
On the other hand, research from Oxford University published earlier this year surveyed 523 comedians and compared them to a control group:
Their finding? “The creative elements needed to produce humor are strikingly similar to those characterizing the cognitive style of people with psychosis—both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,” study author Gordon Claridge, of the University of Oxford’s Department of Experimental Psychology, told the BBC. He said comedians may use their act as a form of self-medication.
Suffice it to say that relentless jesting may not necessarily mask a deeper struggle within, but it is certainly possible that it might.
Case in point: Jamie Masada, a US comedy club pioneer, observed of his relationship with Robin Williams: "He was always in character - you never saw the real Robin. I knew him 35 years, and I never knew him."
As comedian and philosopher Ben Stein has so aptly observed, "We all wear masks, metaphorically speaking."
If Robin Williams' tragic death teaches us anything at all, it teaches that we must take the time--invest the energy--to look beyond the masks to the heart and soul of the person behind them. We mustn't assume a laughing face is indicative of a light heart. In fact, Scripture gives us this insightful warning: "Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains" (Proverbs 14:13, NLT).