096 - On Adversity - Moral Letters for Modern Times
After all we have discussed, I see you are resisting and complaining about the misfortunes that have befallen you. Have you not learned the lesson, or have you forgotten, that the only misfortune you need focus on is the fact that you feel the need to resist and complain? There is no sadness for people in existence unless they find something in the world they think is sad.
I am weary from work and my body is becoming frail; that is my fate and the fate of all people. None of the cryptocurrencies I buy are promoted by Elon Musk, my blog had just three visitors last month, and I have forgotten more passwords than I can remember. On all sides, I am beset by selfish neighbors, ungrateful employees, and greedy customers. None of this daunts me. The default state of existence is hardship, not ease. I tell myself this not only to learn to accept the nature of life but to expect it. I will not be surprised by the adversity that comes my way. On the contrary, I welcome having revealed to me each day what difficulty I must now overcome. I greet my obstacles with relish and a ready smile.
I understand your dismay, Deuteros. Between the lines of your anxious letters I read your worry about your sudden insomnia and hair loss. Here now, I will say what you could not. You dread that you have some form of cancer, as if by not saying the word you can keep it from finding its way to your door. The longer one lives, having survived all the outrages and accidents that carry off the young, the more likely one is to fall prey to an ailment from within. Replication errors within your DNA multiply exponentially as you multiply your years and expose your cells to ever more free radicals. Are you not supremely greedy to wish that you alone can be made exempt from the laws of nature?
It is human nature to suffer and to struggle. I say open your eyes fully and accept the reality that surrounds us. Embrace the battle and become master of your fate, not subject to it. Face adversity head on and you will be the hero of your own life, and there is no better way to live your life. Thus you will understand me when I wish you all the best by wishing you a life not free from adversity, but full of clarity.
Be well.
Member discussion