Once a problem befalls a man, he thinks it is the end of life. On the contrary, when he is overwhelmed with happiness, he perceives that he has become the unconquerable master of the world, and that this privileged aura will never fade—it will last forever. Both perceptions of human beings are incorrect. All things in this mundane world are transient—ephemeral. With time, everything changes. Nothing is perpetual. Time is the greatest healer; it is the greatest leveller. Time cures all wounds and pacifies all physio-psychic disturbances. With the passage of time, pain turns to pleasure. Time changes, and happiness can take a deep plunge, transforming into a nightmare—the labyrinth of adversities. Yet, human beings take the vicissitudes of life as permanent. Sorrows are seen as endless, and the happiest moments are assumed to last forever. Undoubtedly, this perception forms the root of all human suffering.

Robert H. Schuller, the famous U.S. author, aptly said, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” Time is the greatest game changer. What has come must go—whether it is pain or pleasure, adversity or ecstasy, agony or enjoyment. Everything has its own period of expiry; it has a last date of survival or existence. If all things in this world are bound to change, however painful or pleasant they may be, then why do we waste time worrying about what we had not expected? Why do we take pride in possessions that others so longingly yearn for? Keeping patience in predicament and staying calm in mirth, with indomitable faith in the life-changing magic of time, may make human life sublime and consummate.

Leo Tolstoy, the famous Russian writer, once said very correctly, “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” With the passage of time and the habit of staying patient, we can overcome all problems and surmount all difficulties in life. Time cures everything, controls everything, resolves all problems, and helps us cope with the stresses and anxieties of life. The great Greek statesman Pericles deeply understood the importance and impact of time in human life, which is unambiguously reflected when he says, “Time is the wisest counselor of all.” During moments of predicament and panic, it is better to wait and let the bad patches pass. This is also a rule of nature—to brave the challenges of life.

The highly renowned Roman poet Ovid once said, “Time is the devourer of all things.” Bad things happen, and they too pass away. Good things occur, and they too do not stay permanently. Those phenomena also run their course. Nothing stays forever; all things in the world have a definite expiry period, beyond which they cease to exist, lose their sheen and utility, and no longer have active or reactive repercussions. But people who bear eternal hope and maintain a positive mindset, those who can wait and nourish hope for change with the passage of time, surprisingly overcome difficulties and bad spells. They ultimately succeed in emerging comfortably from the labyrinth of life’s pains and penury and reach the pinnacle of success and happiness that the common masses so earnestly hanker after.

Time is magic, filled with prolific possibilities—bringing happiness into life, delivering the pleasures we long for, and creating the charisma we intensely expect to occur. Time is not merely a natural entity, a universal fact, or a unit for measuring epochs. Time is the greatest game changer, the greatest healer, the greatest leveller, a great sorcerer, and a harbinger of good omen and fortune. Let us have patience and wait for the bad times to pass, to finally rise like a phoenix from the ashes. This is the unbelievable charm of what we call time.

(The writer is a principal of PM Shri School Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Garhbanaili, District- Purnea)