“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”
– Percy Bysshe Shelley
This statement can be perceived as a source of motivation whenever we find ourselves in any difficulty, for it says that the times of joy are always trailing behind the hard ones.
But we, humans, when in a negative state of mind, prove to be quite efficient in pointing out loopholes in anything and everything. I say so because it can be contended that winters are longer and spring is shorter.
But how do we react to these 4 seasons? (of course, apart from winter and spring we have summer and autumn).
We blame the winter for making us suffer with a chilling effect; we blame the summer for the scorching sun; we blame autumn for making the dried leaves fall of the trees associated with gloom (which we would discuss in detail in the post on sorrow); where do we go in spring? Where do we go when the flowers bloom and the butterflies hover over them? Where do we go when the breeze has a refreshing aroma? At that time, we find ourselves in a deep slumber. When the harsh conditions of the other seasons rain down upon us, we can’t even blink our eyes. And as soon as the weather gets pleasant, we hibernate. In our sleep, we dream. But what do we see? We encounter the visuals regarding the pending and forthcoming challenges which lay on our way ahead. Ultimately, when we open our eyes, we find that the season of joy has ended.
This is what we actually do. When finally, our most awaited joy crosses our way, we spend our time pondering over other issues instead of cherishing it to the fullest. At that moment, our mind is busy in the complex calculations and in developing algorithms to crack other problems of our lives. It forgets to enjoy the success of the one it has just cracked. And this is why spring is shorter. It is we who make it shorter.
As we generally say, to motivate ourselves, that no situation in life is permanent. Thus, the bad times too are temporary. Following the same pattern, it is imperative for us to understand that the good ones too shall pass.