Getting too much or too little of anything indicates a non-optimal state. It means that being in such a condition is not being at equilibrium since it is not in the appropriate portion and place. For instance, excessively feeling happy, such as euphoric could lead an individual to be off guard and ignore something that should have been anticipated. Vice versa, extremely feeling sad, such as mournful could unambiguously have destructive impacts on the individual. Therefore, being aware of the impermanent nature of states and things in the world could make individuals behave wisely and contribute to optimizing their actions to improve their life by making wise decisions.
The proverb this too shall pass came into being when a king requested a ring that would make him happy when he was sad and vice versa, caution him when he was joyful, and received one engraved with the line (Keyes, 2007). From the psychological perspective, this proverb introduces the question of whether temporal distancing from positive events lowers positive impact through the same mechanism that distancing from negative events lowers negative impact by underlining their impermanence. At first, it looks reasonable that focusing on the impermanence of joyful experiences could diminish their enjoyment.
Bruehlman-Senecal and Ozlem Ayduk (2015) suggest, nevertheless, that it is also possible that the awareness that positive experiences are fleeting might encourage individuals to more fully appreciate and cherish these experiences while they last. Thus, the proverb this too shall pass provides more than cold comfort to individuals who strive with personal struggles. This is supported by the study of Bruehlman-Senecal and Ozlem Ayduk (2015) that suggested so and highlighted temporal distancing as a pivotal strategy for increasing individuals’ awareness that their reactions to stressful events tend to be temporary.
This too shall pass could also be associated with optimizing decisions from the perspective of economics. As representative agents in the economy strive to maximize their interests, such as profit for businesses and utilities for consumers, they are simultaneously subject to certain constraints, including budget and time constraints. Adopting a popular topic of optimality in economics would be beneficial and doable for individuals to optimize their life even though the application in real life might be more abstract and conceptual.
Optimizing individuals’ life might be specified by narrowing down to the micro aspects of their daily life, which are the course of behaviors and decisions since the accumulation of the actions and decisions that they make during the lifetime period might affect their satisfaction (utilities). This means that to optimize their actions and decisions, individuals need to find and determine their objectives. After discovering their life objectives which are unique for each person, individuals need to specify their constraints in any terms, such as financial, time, skills, etc. Knowing the objectives and being aware of the constraints might then make individuals wise in making decisions and taking further steps, which in turn would eventually allow them to effectively pursue their objectives and efficiently take necessary actions and utilize resources during their lifetime period.
It is imperative to note that as rational beings, individuals might want to maximize their lives to the fullest in any aspect. This requires them to act optimally and decide wisely during their lifetime period given some resources and constraints. To enable individuals to take actions and decisions optimally, they need at least two important things. First is knowing the temporary nature of their conditions or experiences or in other words, recognizing their time constraints. The second is to set objectives that are generally unique for each individual. This too shall pass could be applied in real life as cautious for individuals to live their lives optimally.
References
Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Ayduk, O. (2015). This too shall pass: Temporal distance and the regulation of emotional distress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(2), 356–375.
Keyes, R. (2007). The quote verifier: Who said what, where, and when. New York, NY: Macmillan.
hope. 