Mark Kevin A.

Ong Yiu
LL ENGL 11

“Walang Forever” and That’s a Good Thing

I believe that life cannot be appreciated without death and that the only reason why we value life
so much is that it does not last forever. In Economics, this is called the paradox of value — diamonds are
more valuable than water even though water is essential to our survival simply because diamonds are less
abundant than water in the same way that life is limited. As I reflect through my own life, I am always
drawn back to this one quote that continues to have a profound effect on me as a person — “This too shall
pass.” When I first came across this quote in grade school several years ago, I did not think much of it.
However, as I went through the ups and downs of my life, I began to appreciate its implications more.

It all began in preschool. I was five years old. I was sitting on the cold tile floor of my classroom
along with my classmates. The room was tiny — there was just about enough space to fit fifteen
preschoolers without feeling too cramped. I could hear the grade-schoolers play on the field right outside
my classroom. My teacher was standing in front of us holding a manila paper containing I’s, V’s, X’s, and
C’s. It was Roman numerals. These letters were combined in different ways to represent different numbers,
and that fascinated me. My fascination with Roman numerals was unplanned and accidental, but at the same
time, it felt almost destined and magical. My teacher only taught us Roman numerals until the hundreds,
but I was so captivated by it that I found a way to teach myself about the thousands, and this method of
self-learning became a part of me throughout my life. My fascination for numbers eventually grew into an
interest in mathematics.

During my grade school and high school years, I continued to teach myself advanced lessons in
mathematics that my teachers would not include in their discussions, and because of that, I was able to join
different competitions in mathematics. From Roman numerals to integral calculus, my curiosity that began
in preschool drove me to keep learning more. In the beginning, I was able to win the first place in these
competitions because of my advanced knowledge; however, as the years passed and as the questions
became more advanced, the effort that I was giving out was also diminishing, and I was no longer able to
win the first place. Looking back at these events, questions of regret began to flood my mind: Why did I not
do more? Why did I stop giving effort? Would the result have been different if I gave more effort? As I was
reflecting on my mistakes, I was reminded of that quote that I came across years ago, and I finally
understood its meaning. “This too shall pass.” — it makes you happy when you are sad and sad when you
are happy. In a deeper sense, it tells us that neither our greatest sorrow nor our utmost joy will last forever.
It tells us that nothing lasts forever or simply “walang forever.” That is why we should not worry too much
about our problems, and we should always savor every moment of happiness.

Sadness is an inevitable part of the human experience, and the paradox of value tells me that I am
only able to appreciate joy because of the existence of sadness. Whenever I feel sad, I should not try to
“fix” it, and I should not set expectations on how I should feel. This will most likely cause me to dwell on
my sadness, causing negative thoughts. These negative thoughts, in turn, will likely compound my sadness,
and the downward spiral continues. Instead, I should accept my sadness for what it is, learn from it, and
allow it to pass, for everything in this world will pass eventually. I should be grateful to my times of sadness;
for, without it, I would not be able to appreciate my times of joy.

The moment I came across this quote, there was a fire that was lying dormant within me just waiting
to be discovered, and when I did, it completely changed my entire perspective of the world. It enabled me
to reflect on the value of life and the reason behind its value. “This too shall pass,” tells us that nothing in
this world will last forever, and just as happiness and sadness do not last forever, our very lives have an
inevitable end too. Through this quote, I learned to appreciate every single moment of my life; good and
bad because we only live once, and it is living only once that grants life its fundamental value.
Mark Kevin A. Ong Yiu
LL ENGL 11

Quotes:
“This too shall pass”
“walang forever”