The need for source of strength

Today, I would like to talk about life. Life is not easy. Nothing guarantees the opposite.

I believe that if one’s frame of mind --that life is not easy-- is like this, one will be living a life of fewer disappointments. I say fewer because nobody is immune to disappointments or failures. No matter how much preparation we make for any endeavor, there is always a possibility that things can go wrong. As it is said, the best-laid plans of mice and men can sometimes go awry.

A politician can hire the best organizers and consultants but still lose an election. Some politicians are obsessed with the words “undefeated”, “veteran”, and “astute.” They are so obsessed that they lose sight of the possibility of defeat, or they ignore it. And when defeat comes, they simply cannot accept it. The thought of being out of power terrifies them.

The well-educated businessman may fall into a decision that can cause the collapse of his business. He may have all the data at a single strike of the keyboard, but he was not forewarned that knowledge and wisdom are different. In fact, there are times when even connections in the corridors of power do not anymore work for them. That is why we have witnessed many companies that once looked indestructible saying goodbye to their clients or customers.

We have also seen many marriages of what we consider perfect couples that end in bitter court battles. The “in sickness and in health, poverty, and abundance, till death, do us part” has become for them an empty promise. Some have the luxury of ending their marriages without the prying public eye. Like prominent politicians, people in business, or personalities, others choose to put up a picture of stability to a shattered-beyond-repair marriage. Good public perception, actual or imagined, is what breathes life into them.

A Law student may pour all his life and soul into his study of the intricacies of the law but still be unable to pass the Bar examination. He may have mastered the legal doctrines or read the books of the best authors, but somewhere and somehow things do not go in his favor. That is why we have heard of brilliant minds that failed, to the surprise of their friends and foes alike.

The cases I mentioned above do not prove that preparation is unnecessary. It is indispensable because the truth is it is the idea that we have given our best or our all to a specific endeavor that cushions the effect of pain that failure brings. It removes the sense of guilt that we have not done enough.

I wish to say that we must toughen ourselves for life’s eventualities. We cannot strengthen ourselves if we do not have sources of strength. Many people get that strength from God, or what others call a higher being. The thought of him makes us cling to the idea that we are not alone.

Another source of strength is our family. Families are not perfect, and there will always be issues that will endanger the bonds that only a family can forge. But it is difficult or impossible to find another family.

Friends can also be our source of strength. The Bible says there are friends who stick like brothers. There is even a joke that our friends are God’s excuse for our family. The non-judgmental nature of true friendship, the kind understanding friends know between each other, is a mystery or life’s miracle.