Every Cloud has a Silver Lining!
By: Jaswinder Pal Sharma
‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ is one of the most positive proverbs in the English language. Furthermore, it is a proverb that instantly fills one up with immense hope and self-confidence.
A common sight which everyone must have witnessed is that of dark clouds covering the sky and the sun not being visible. However, such an occurrence is only temporary. After some time, the clouds would disappear or move away and the sunlight would again brighten up the sky.
The troubles in our lives are very much like those dark clouds. Our lives are characterized by troubles, pain, misery, disaster, calamities and tragedies. However, just like the dark clouds, one must understand that these problems are only temporary and that better times would soon come.
The silver lining refers to the good, happy, or pleasant times. As one would notice, the entire proverb is about hope. If an individual has hope even in the darkest of times, then indeed things will ultimately be in that individual’s favour. However, if the individual has a negative approach towards life, then no amount of blessings will ever make him satisfied and he will end up in problems.
As one can see, people in this world have a choice. Furthermore, people can either choose to live in darkness or they can lead a confident, positive, and fruitful life. In the end, it all comes down to the path one chooses in life.
There are some individuals who know how to make the best of their lives. In contrast, there are some who would instantly be demoralized and lose all hope in the presence of the slightest trouble. Moreover, the attitude of people towards the troubles they face is a determinant of their success in life.
There are some individuals who very well know the art of boldly facing their misfortune. Furthermore, such individuals, through determination, are able to reach for that glory that lies behind those dark hovering clouds. Most noteworthy, the lives of such individuals turn to be an inspiration for others.
Take the case of Nelson Mandela, the famous South African political leader. This man served a prison sentence of twenty-seven years, a duration that is enough to break even strong-spirited people. Despite that, Mandela bravely faced his misfortune and became a worldwide inspiration.
Many great poets and writers have addressed the same idea that the proverb conveys. The idea is that when misery or misfortune strikes, always remember that good times are not that far to arrive.
“Every cloud has a silver lining” is a proverb that can bring a smile to anyone’s face. Furthermore, this proverb represents humanity’s reliance and longing for hope. Most noteworthy, for a person to stop having hope is similar to stop living.
Often in life, you must have heard, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. The phrase is self-explanatory and has a deep meaning behind it. It means that we must not underestimate anyone based on their looks. In fact, the deeds and characters of the person matter the most. Thus, don’t judge a book by its cover essay will help us understand its meaning.
There are many reasons why we must never judge a book by its cover. You know nothing about someone just by their outward appearance. It should never be the judge of someone’s character.
For instance, if you see a good-looking person, you can only see their skin colour, physical traits, and maybe fashion. But what about things beyond that? You cannot solely make up your mind on their outward appearance.
What if the good-looking person turns out to be horrible in nature? What if they lack any real talent or skill? Thus, you see how outward appearances can be misleading. They are basically valueless things so never judge someone on their face value.
On the other hand, something which may not possess beautiful features may have much more value than something beautiful. In other words, the appearance of someone is not equivalent to their worth. Thus, we must judge the person on the basis of their personality and capabilities and not merely external appearance.
To help you understand the phrase better, let us take a look at a story with the same moral. Once, there was a woman who was going on a train journey but forgets her wallet at home. While waiting for the train, she goes to a restaurant.
With the little change she has left, she orders the cheapest meal, a plate of rice and goes to the washroom. Upon returning, she notices a shabbily-dressed man sitting on the table eating from the plate of rice.
This infuriates her thinking he stole her plate but she does not say anything. She starts to eat from the same plate out of spite. The man gets up and leaves. However, soon the lady realizes that she left her belongings on another table.
That table had her plate of rice kept untouched and she realizes she was eating from that man’s plate but he did not say anything to her. Thus, she realizes how she judged him for being a thief because of his clothing when in reality, she was eating from his plate.
To conclude, it is not right to assess people on the basis of their appearance. Some people take a look at the cover of a book and feel that the designer colour and fancy text may mean it is better than a plain book. However, that does not happen, the inside of the book maybe not what you expected, so never judge a book or person by its cover.
