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Tough times don’t last, tough people do.

In this aphorism, there is much wisdom. When it says, “Tough times don’t last,” it recognises the transient nature of all things in life. Existence is a series of moments, each fleeting, each passing. The troubles that seem so permanent and overwhelming are just like clouds in the sky: they may darken the horizon temporarily but eventually, they move on. The sky remains.

The second part, “tough people do,” speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. But here, let us not mistake ‘tough’ for being hard or unfeeling. True toughness, in the way of a sage, is a softness – it is the flexibility of the bamboo that bends with the wind but does not break. It is the capacity to flow with life’s currents, adapting to challenges without losing one’s essential nature.

To be ‘tough’ in a truly spiritual sense is to remain centred and calm in the midst of chaos. It is to possess an inner serenity and strength that external circumstances cannot touch. It is to maintain a certain detachment and not to identify oneself with the passing storm.

By coupling these truths, you understand both the temporary nature of difficulty and the permanent potential of your own inner resilience. Face your challenges, yes, but do not become them. You are not the difficult times; you are the witness to those times, capable of outlasting them with grace and inner fortitude.