There are moments in life when happiness feels endless – the first cry of a newborn, the embrace of an old friend, or the reward of years of hard work. In those moments, it feels as though time itself has come to a standstill. But slowly, the laughter quiets and even the brightest celebrations become memories we carry in our hearts.
And then there are moments when sorrow weighs on us so heavily that it feels permanent – the loss of someone dear, a broken trust or a dream that has slipped away. In those hours, it seems as though pain will never loosen its grip.
But time has its own temperament. 'Waqt ki fitrat hai' – it never stays still. The happiness that departs leaves behind an emptiness that sorrow rushes to fill, but sorrow, too, eventually loosens its grip. In the same eyes where tears once flowed in grief, tears of joy may one day glisten. That is the rhythm of human life: nothing is permanent, everything is fleeting.
We often forget this truth in our daily struggles. Happiness makes us fear its departure, while grief convinces us it will never leave. But life is neither an endless festival nor a lifetime of mourning. It is a river that keeps flowing, carrying us from one season to the next.
I have seen this truth written on countless faces. At weddings, parents hold their children with tears that are equal parts joy and longing. In hospital rooms, the same eyes shed tears of fear and pain as they hold on to a loved one’s hand. The eyes are the same; only the heart’s season has changed. Just as night gives way to dawn, sorrow gives way to joy – and joy, too, eventually makes space for sorrow.
This rhythm belongs not only to individuals but to entire nations. History reminds us that no darkness is permanent and no golden age lasts forever. Triumphs and setbacks take turns, shaping who we are. Our resilience lies not in fighting change, but in accepting it and in trusting that no moment, whether bitter or sweet, is final.
There is comfort in this truth. If happiness is fleeting, it teaches us to savour it fully. If sorrow is temporary, it teaches us patience and faith. Both are teachers, reminding us that life’s beauty rests in its impermanence.
Perhaps the tears we shed, whether in joy or in grief, are not opposites at all. They are companions, reminding us that we are alive, that we feel deeply, and that we are part of the timeless flow of life.
Nothing is permanent. And within that reality lies both our deepest consolation and our greatest hope.
The writer is a leading Pakistani industrialist. He can be reached at:
fkdadabhoy@hotmail.com
