Times and Seasons, by Ben Jeapes
Photo by Designecologist
The story goes that a king (or possibly a sultan) asked a wise person for words of advice which would work under any circumstances. They came up with: “This too shall pass”.
Of course, the king (or sultan) could just have read Ecclesiastes, which conveys a similar message. Nothing (at least, nothing this side of death) is forever. If there’s a time for everything to begin, that means there must be a time for it to end too.
I’ve been thinking of this for a couple of reasons recently. One is that this week it is twenty years since my life took a whole new turn, all for the better. I blog about it here. After seeing a career crash and burn and staring down the barrel of personal bankruptcy, I got a job that let me start over, that I enjoyed hugely and that, frankly, I could have just kept doing forever.
Only, it wouldn’t have been forever, would it? Co-workers came and went. The company itself changed, as a healthy company must, flexing and adapting to the changing commercial environment in which it existed. ‘Forever’ turned out to be seven years, until redundancy came along.
The other reason is … well, let’s not get political. Let’s just say that current indications suggest we may be getting another four years of a particular President in the White House. But that, too, shall pass … as I reminded myself frequently between 2016 and 2020.
It makes me wary of being too glib when I write stories. Say I was writing a story set in World War Two. As far as the characters were concerned, they would be fighting to rid the world of fascism. Eighty years later, sad to say, I know that all they did was knock it out for a generation. And my modern readers would know this – but at the same time they wouldn’t want me to disparage the heroism of the characters in the 1940s.
So, even if I write a story set in the present, or the future, I know that the happy ending won’t last forever. Not until the final, happiest ending of all – but that’s usually beyond my remit.
Ben Jeapes took up writing in the mistaken belief that it would be easier than a real job (it isn’t). Hence, as well as being the author of eight novels and co-author of many more, he has also been a journal editor, book publisher, and technical writer. His most recent title is a children’s biography of Ada Lovelace. www.benjeapes.com
Of course, the king (or sultan) could just have read Ecclesiastes, which conveys a similar message. Nothing (at least, nothing this side of death) is forever. If there’s a time for everything to begin, that means there must be a time for it to end too.
I’ve been thinking of this for a couple of reasons recently. One is that this week it is twenty years since my life took a whole new turn, all for the better. I blog about it here. After seeing a career crash and burn and staring down the barrel of personal bankruptcy, I got a job that let me start over, that I enjoyed hugely and that, frankly, I could have just kept doing forever.
Only, it wouldn’t have been forever, would it? Co-workers came and went. The company itself changed, as a healthy company must, flexing and adapting to the changing commercial environment in which it existed. ‘Forever’ turned out to be seven years, until redundancy came along.
The other reason is … well, let’s not get political. Let’s just say that current indications suggest we may be getting another four years of a particular President in the White House. But that, too, shall pass … as I reminded myself frequently between 2016 and 2020.
It makes me wary of being too glib when I write stories. Say I was writing a story set in World War Two. As far as the characters were concerned, they would be fighting to rid the world of fascism. Eighty years later, sad to say, I know that all they did was knock it out for a generation. And my modern readers would know this – but at the same time they wouldn’t want me to disparage the heroism of the characters in the 1940s.
So, even if I write a story set in the present, or the future, I know that the happy ending won’t last forever. Not until the final, happiest ending of all – but that’s usually beyond my remit.
I enjoyed reading this Ben, the subject of your post is aligned to much of my recent thoughts about change and our attitude towards it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm stuck in a season of struggle, I always think of the song Do It Again, and the lines, 'Walking around these walls / I thought by now they'd fall / But You have never failed me yet.'
ReplyDeleteI always say that change is here to stay and we all need an element of certainty and uncertainty. Great blog Ben.
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Ben! Thanks. 'This too shall pass' is a very popular 'prayer' many christians use to encourage, heal, comfort, etc such that even now, I'm not sure if it's from the scriptures! Probably is. Usually used for grim situations though. As for change in circumstances, I agree with Solomon, who echoed God, that only the Word of God will remain and never change, when all else does. Just wish you God's continued favour at wherever you are presently and that all things will continue to work for your good by His grace. Amen. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteGood post, Ben. 'This too shall pass' has possibilities that may be encouraging or depressing, depending on circumstances. The saying may keep us grounded, too. But time is a funny thing. The bad things seem to go so slowly, and the good things so quickly.
ReplyDeleteLast reply was by Veronica Bright.
DeleteThank you! Change is not my favourite, but I love your perspective on history writing! Interesting point, I might have to think about it more when writing my Viking time travel book!
ReplyDelete