“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”
— Friedrich Nietzsche
For every negative that happens, there is a positive. Life makes us stretch so that we grow and become sturdier. “There is no education like adversity,” said Disraeli. We all know how Abraham’s faith was tested by the fire. Engaging mindfully with our sufferings is a fruitful way for living authentic and meaningful lives. Like ecstasy, sufferings too have a role in developing our emotional toolbox.
We should create a template of our core values that can be used as a shield against our adversities.
Prosperity is a mind booster but adversity is not without value; it is a great teacher. One burnishes the mind, the other hones it. Even when life is at its hardest, there are meanings to be found, riches to be harvested, and gifts to be reaped from the ordeals we undergo. Embracing this philosophy makes trials lose their sting. As Rumi tells us, “In tears come laughter concealed. Seek the treasure beneath the ruins”. Francis Bacon echoes a similar sentiment: “Prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.”
