Adversity
I know it’s trite, but it’s about me, so deal. For some people, it’s hard to just hold on, to make ends meet. They have a lot of opportunities to make mistakes and those mistakes can cost them a lot. For more fortunate people, they often make the very same mistakes, but they get bailed out by supporting family, friends, etc. Too much of this is a bad thing, but too little is also a bad thing.
But some people, (perhaps often the more fortunate ones, I’m not sure,) seem to make a different mistake. An error of omission. An overly conservative and fearful approach to life. Not enough risk-taking. And avoiding all those mistakes are nice, but really. It’s too easy for many people, me included, to avoid all the good stuff too. You have top put yourself out there and really live sometimes. People thrive on adversity. Adversity is the only thing that gives meaning to life.
Now, I’m not saying I’m against welfare and safety nets and universal healthcare. The adversity of cancer is something no one needs to deal with. Adversity isn’t something society needs to introduce so that people have something to overcome. It’s something both society and people need to overcome. And when it is overcome, people find new adversity to create for themselves. They seek out challenges, and they go experience more things.
Some people are lucky. Situated comfortably. No real adversity to face. No real challenges. And some of those people are afraid of adversity. They run from it. And that is dull, and boring, and pathetic. Depressing. If you’re situated comfortably, you’re not trying hard enough. You need to aim higher, put more at stake. Because that’s what makes human beings happy. Happiness is about pain. Life is about pain.
