Just hours before he was murdered, Charlie Kirk, in improvised fashion befitting his quick wit, told an audience of business owners in Salt Lake City that one of his favorite quotes is “This too shall pass.” Tragically, Kirk has passed from the surly bonds of Earth, but his legacy will last.
The quote may seem simplistic (perhaps boiling down complex elements, somewhat like Occam’s razor), but it carries great profundity, immersed in spirituality and science.
Spiritually, it contemplates the temporal nature of terrestrial life. Though we’re made in the image of God, we are currently dust in the wind, at least in terms of our fleeting earthly pursuits. Our human agency is limited, so we’d better have faith. That includes focusing on the Almighty rather than dwelling interminably on our current aspirations and predicaments. Given his piety, no wonder Charlie Kirk chose the phrase as one of his guideposts.
Scientifically, one of the fascinating features of our universe (as we know it) is the arrow of time. Whereas most of the laws of physics are time-symmetric, time (so far) appears to be asymmetric. It moves one way — forward. Inevitably, then, “This too shall pass.” That may seem obvious, but the forward flow of time is not compelled by the laws of nature.
“This too shall pass” — I cannot conceive of a better quote to encapsulate the fundamental truth. Yet brilliant Charlie Kirk did it off the cuff. A select few among us are so talented, or wise beyond years, that they seem otherworldly. Charlie is there now, but his legacy lasts in the here and now.
One of the few comprehensive poems (to me, anyway) is “If” by Rudyard Kipling. Charlie checks all the “if” boxes that Kipling sublimely relates, including this one in the final stanza: “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch ... Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.”
As witnessed by tributes and memorials across the world, Charlie’s legacy encompasses much of the Earth. Sure, most things will pass, but spiritual truth endures. His physical being has passed, but his spirit will last. His is the Earth. Despite fifty-eight House Dems voting against a resolution honoring Charlie’s life and legacy, there’re no Dem ifs, ands, or buts about it.
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Image: Charlie Kirk. Credit: Gage Skidmore via <a data-cke-saved-href=" by-sa="" captext="<a data-cke-saved-href=" cc="" gage="" gageskidmore="" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en" https:="" p="" photos="" src="https://images.americanthinker.com/um/um7tzzcw07en2ntzspdu_640.jpg" www.flickr.com="" width="100%" height="auto">
Image: Charlie Kirk. Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.