When you are young, every little thing feels like a huge deal. I remember being a kid and feeling so sad because I didn’t get the bike I wanted for my birthday. I cried and thought I would be unhappy forever. But after a few days, that sadness just went away. I forgot about the bike and went out to play with my friends.

Years later, I got my first job. I was so happy and proud. I thought my life was finally set. But that good feeling did not last long. Within a few weeks, tons of work piled up on my desk, and my boss started demanding so much from me. I felt completely overwhelmed and stressed.

Life is always like this. It goes up and down in small daily moments. One day, I was so angry because someone cut in front of me in the bus queue. My blood boiled, but in just a few minutes, the bus arrived, I sat down, and the anger disappeared.

Think about how many times you have been sick and then gotten better. You were exhausted after a long shift, but you slept and woke up energetic. You were completely broke, counting your last coins, but you recovered and survived. People praised you today, and someone scolded you tomorrow.

Everything is temporary. Nothing stays the same.

Now, let me tell you a story, my Pangyaos.

This truth is not just for ordinary people like us. Even the most powerful rulers in history had to learn it.

Centuries ago, a king ruled over a wealthy kingdom. He had everything, but his mind was never at peace because life was always changing. He called the wisest men in his kingdom and gave them a difficult task; he wanted them to create a short message that he could carry with him until the day he died.

The king had one strict condition: “This message must be true every single time I read it, no matter what happens to me.”

It had to be true in times of great joy, true in times of deep loneliness, true in moments of heavy suffering, and true in moments of blessings. It had to be true when he won a big victory, and true when he suffered a terrible defeat. The king needed a message he could rely on when life felt unbearable, and also when things seemed completely fine.

The wise men tried their best. They debated for weeks and read many books, but no one could come up with a single phrase that was always true. A happy message did not work during a tragedy, and a sad message did not make sense during a celebration.

One day, the king was walking in his palace garden. He noticed that the plants were drying up and the flowers were dying. He called his gardener and asked what had happened.

The gardener replied that it was because of the extreme heat and the lack of rain. Water was very scarce. But the gardener told the King not to worry because the rain would surely come in a month.

Then the gardener said, “Don’t worry, Your Majesty, this too shall pass.”

The King stopped and looked at him. “What did you just say?”

The gardener bowed and repeated, “This, too, shall pass, my King.”

The King smiled. He finally found his answer. The greatest message did not come from the university or the wise scholars. It came from a simple gardener who worked with the soil and saw how nature changes every season. The King had his words: THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS.

This is exactly what we need to use in our daily lives today.

Many migrants and workers in Hong Kong and across Asia know how hard life can be. There are days when you feel completely alone, far away from your family, and you feel like you have lost everything. Your savings are gone, or your problems back home are too heavy. 

In those exact moments, look out the window and remember: this, too, shall pass. The hardship will not last forever.

When success comes, when you finally get that salary increase or promotion, or when you send a big remittance home, enjoy it. But do not let pride make you arrogant. Remember, this, too, shall pass. Staying humble is important because life can turn around quickly.

We also experience beautiful, sweet moments. Maybe it is a Sunday picnic in the park with your best friends, sharing homemade food, laughing, and forgetting about work. These moments are special, and because we know this, too, shall pass, we should enjoy every single second of them instead of worrying about tomorrow.

And what about the difficult days at work? Sometimes you feel completely suffocated because you are stuck in a house or an office surrounded by difficult bosses or people you do not like. The environment is bad, and the hours feel so long. Take a deep breath. Remind yourself that the contract will end, the day will finish, and you will walk out of that door. This, too, shall pass.

Life is like the weather in Hong Kong. It can be stormy and rainy in the morning, but the sun will eventually come out. By accepting that every problem and every happy moment is temporary, you find peace. You do not need to panic when times are bad, and you do not need to stress when times are good. Just keep moving forward, day by day, because everything changes, and this, too, shall pass.