(photo: @timmarshall)
It Would Be A Tragedy To Never Face Adversity In Life
No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. for he is not permitted to prove himself. ~ Seneca
In our society, it’s the man who is born into wealth who is viewed as being blessed with a gift that he did not have to earn. But it is the man born into much adversity who is given the greatest gift of all: the gift to test his mettle, to prove his worth, to see what he is, indeed, made of.
It’s while this man is facing obstacle after obstacle that, if he so chooses, will acquire far more grit and toughness than his counterpart who’s faced little in the way of tribulation.
Great men aren’t always the ones we read about in history books. They’re often the men who faced life as men, who refused to refuse responsibility, who took what was coming on their feet and made the lives of those around them not only better, but possible.
Our society judges success numerically. It’s normally what a man’s done or what he’s acquired that we judge him on. The true value of a man, however, isn’t found in his bank account or on his property, but within him. It’s difficult to explain the importance of this fact because everywhere you go and everyone you talk to will likely judge you on the former rather than the latter. But it’s their judgment that you cannot fret over nor take to heart.
There are bigger things at play than we realize. As death becomes your next adventure, it won’t be the things you buy nor the land you hold that will bring you happiness, pride, or contentment, it’s the mouths you’ve fed, the honor you’ve upheld, and the people you’ve defended that will bring you solace and peace.
The man with things to his name and numbers in his estate may have meaning, too, but only if he lives a life filled with adversity and struggle, obstacles, fears faced, and battles won. The man who lives a life without turmoil and in complete ease and peace, devoid of adversity and struggle, cannot call himself a man, nor know what he’s made of, nor proclaim that he has truly lived.
Check out the rest of the article at Average2Alpha
