One of the hardest truths we’ll ever accept is that adversity is a natural part of life.
This isn’t an excuse to resign ourselves to perpetual victimhood.
It’s an acknowledgement that no matter how good life is going at the moment, it will not always be so.
The rules that govern this world do not preclude bad things from happening.
In cultures as risk-averse as our own, it’s not uncommon to see people willing to go to extreme lengths to seek security at any cost.
Rather than hiding in a corner trying to avoid adversity, we must learn how to take the blows and to keep moving forward.
This is only possible when we value ourselves enough to be willing to suffer for the sake of becoming something more.
Sometimes that suffering takes the form of physical illness or pain. Other times it comes to us as stress and worry over failing at something.
Adversity can also be experienced through rejection and ridicule by others.
The pain is real but temporary.
The opportunity for refinement and growth is also real.
Helen Keller knew a thing or two about adversity when she advised:
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
Better to choose life and suffer occasionally than to hide from the challenging parts.
Losing Our Fear of Adversity