Problems measure the size we have, the "wood" we are made of, the character we have to face life. Tribulations, setbacks, conflicts sift the human race and divide it between those who emerge gracefully and strengthened from the process and those who cannot and emerge weakened and vulnerable from the battle. On many occasions the problems do not reach the solution we would have wanted, in many others the results are clearly adverse to our expectations, but even in these cases the man of character emerges victorious because he learns, because he does not faint, because he grows.
Life is not benign, it does not have to be, men are small creatures in the face of the magnitude of the natural and social phenomena that exist around us. The history of humanity is a chronicle of sacrifices and very hard battles against adversity. It was from the beginning and will be until the end. Man has had to tear from life everything he has today, every benefit, every privilege; He has done it by suffering and paying the cost generously. The man is a survivor, this is his main merit.
In the face of the problem, in the face of adversity, the primary objective must be precisely that: to survive, to get out of the process whole. This already allows you to participate in the next battle, this already gives credit to beat a next opportunity. Survival, standing up to the test is the fundamental imperative for the person facing a conflict. Not giving up is the first and most important victory.
Unfortunately, there are more cases in which the imperative is not fulfilled, more people lower their arms to the problem and are defeated. Each fall removes a handful of precious feathers from our wings, hurts them, until it reaches the point where they no longer serve and we cannot fly. From then on we crawl through life with increasing difficulty, we see everything with the vision of the small creature surrounded by giants.
On the contrary, the vision of an imposing bird that crosses the sky and sees everything from above is beautiful: free, surrounded by clarity and peace. From above, every problem looks small. From above, not only can the problem be seen, but also everything that lies beyond it. What the bird observes is still beautiful because in the middle of it there is this small spot: this problem, this setback.
We human beings have been given the blessing of being able to fly: of appreciating life from above, of measuring things from above. In order to do this, we must take care of our wings, not give up in the face of adversity so as not to be damaged by it.
No problem gives us the right to lower our arms. Not even the tiny ant does it when, in its walk through a small room, it bumps into a shoe; she surrounds this "mountain" or passes over it without hesitation.
Surely the privilege of appreciating her surroundings beyond the narrow walls of the enclosure is not reserved for her, but an obstacle, however immense it may be, does not stop her in her fervent desire to dominate her circumstances. Let's imagine how much more man must do, who potentially has the ability to dominate even other worlds.
Let's also look at the lesson other people leave us: moving stories of victory in the face of adversity, a dramatic opportunity to celebrate life. People who were deprived by fortune of being born with all their members or all their faculties, people who are born and grow up in dreadful conditions of poverty, people who are victims of insurmountable diseases. Imagine how big are the adversities they face, think for a moment that many of them know life like this from the cradle: without guilt and without choice. These beautiful beings are exactly the size of the problems they face and which they overcome day by day: they are great among the greats. They are also a gift from God to us because before it we can only give thanks and be humble, before it we can only be ashamed of our weakness, of our complaint.
They say that courage is not represented by the absence of fear but by the ability to control and overcome it. That courage is required so as not to faint in the face of the harshest of adversities, because we have the right to be afraid! Of course we do; essentially a healthy reverent fear that is an indispensable sample of humility and intelligence; This is part of the job of measuring ourselves. Valuable time is wasted by the man who cares more about being fearful than about facing his fears face to face.
Many people give in to problems out of fear, out of fear of their consequences or the delicate task required to solve them. They then become victims of fear and not of the problem itself.
It takes a good dose of courage to overcome fearsand not to give up in the face of adversity, but this courage does not emerge naturally from any motivation, its source must be closely linked to the major motives that move us, to the fundamental goals we have in life, to the deepest feelings that guide us. Courage arises from the love we feel towards the goals we have set ourselves to achieve, from the love that relates us to our families and our friends, and fundamentally from the love we feel for ourselves. When all these things are put at risk by the effect of the Problem or adversity, then the courage and strength to not give up emerges. Also in this way problems measure us, because they put our Love to the test. And when our love for ourselves is greater,for our loved ones and for the most expensive goals we have for our lives, then the greater the courage that helps us to stand firm in the face of conflict and the more illuminating is the vision to reach solutions.
Our pride is also tested by adversity, a healthy and genuine pride in what we have achieved in life, in what we cherish, in what the ancient Greek warriors called "the plot conquered by blood and fire." It is proven that life does not give anything away, everything that is wanted must be taken from it with effort and this should not be resigned without a healthy fight: firm as the right that sustains it.
Unfortunately, sometimes this fight must also be held to show all those who love us little the character of the wood with which we are made. In moments of tribulation, not all hands reach out or are friends, many rather, seem willing to give us the final push and hasten our fall; Our grandmothers wisely said that there is "a little of everything" in this vineyard of the Lord, and we would sin of absurd innocence when we think that all the people around us only want our good; It is usually the opposite! Envy, suspicion, resentment, selfishness live among us before we arrive in this world and these agents of misfortune are strengthened by our weakness in the face of problems and feed on our capitulations.
Finally, we must be prepared to face adversity at significant levels of loneliness. The problems also measure the nature of the commitment that other people have with us, they constitute a precious factor of qualification of those around us. But even though we are blessed to be among people who are very supportive of us, a significant number of problems tend to have a deeply personal interaction: it is us and them. The scene where the conflict takes place is often like the cold summit of a remote mountain; there you feel loneliness even when many arms are waiting for us below. This loneliness is only faced with strength of spirit, with every fiber of faith that we have in ourselves and in something greater than ourselves.Loneliness is an ugly companion and a grotesque partner in adversity, but greater are we and the one in us!
When tribulation comes and you want to face it firmly with every karat that reflects your worth, this powerful statement, "The stars shine when the sun goes down," may serve you well.
