There is something comforting about the phrase, "This too shall pass." We often say it when circumstances are difficult, painful, or overwhelming. It reminds us that nothing remains exactly as it is forever, but perhaps there is another side to the expression. Sometimes, "This too shall pass" becomes an easy way of surrendering responsibility to time.
Instead of asking, "What can I do about this?" we tell ourselves that eventually the problem will disappear. Instead of confronting the difficult conversation, making the decision, changing the behaviour, or seeking the necessary help, we simply wait.
Time becomes our strategy, but time does not necessarily heal.
Sometimes time heals because we use it to process, learn, change, repair, and grow. Sometimes time merely allows us to become accustomed to something that remains unresolved.
A leaking roof does not stop leaking because time has passed. A broken relationship does not automatically repair itself because enough days have gone by. A financial problem does not necessarily disappear because we refuse to look at it.
Some things pass. Other things require participation.
Perhaps the danger of "This too shall pass" is not the statement itself, but what we use it to avoid. There is wisdom in understanding that difficult emotions and circumstances are temporary. But acceptance of impermanence should not become an excuse for inaction.
Maybe the better question is not:
"Will this pass?"
It is:
"What am I doing while it passes?"
Because sometimes the passage of time is exactly what we need, and sometimes it is simply the amount of time we have spent doing nothing.
This too shall pass, but whether it passes because you waited, or because you acted, may depend entirely on what you choose to do while time is passing.
Time is a process, not necessarily a solution.