Few are able to keep a cool head when facing insurmountable obstacles.
Frustration derived from hardship leads many to despair. When misfortune
and tragedy strike, empty promises won't help. What advice can be given
to those who suffer from physical deficiencies or find themselves
discriminated on the basis of their origin, background, or personal
history?
Severe problems
Television and magazines are full of recommendations for
disadvantaged individuals. "Be positive and have confidence," they are
told. "Better times are coming." On many occasions, such bromides are
dispensed by those who have never encountered serious problems in life
or who have inherited most of what they possess.
Nowadays, many of those affected by severe problems, instead of seeking out a rational response, turn to
nihilism, obsession, or revenge. None of those approaches works, none of
them has ever improved anything. What is the reason of their
popularity? Why do people follow those paths?
A blurred vision
Nihilism will
deprive your life of direction, replacing ambition by neglect and
dereliction. Your vision will become blurred and you will be reduced to
perceiving, from everything, the worst. Purpose will be buried by random
decisions, convictions will turn into derision.
Obsession will
narrow your range to the minimum, pushing you to devote every hour to
senseless goals, such as acquiring fame and power. History tells of many
small men who became murderers to enhance their feeling of
self-importance. This is not the way.
Revenge will waste your
life by focusing your attention on past misfortune. Getting even seldom
solves problems and frequently results in additional harm. Revenge will
consume your efforts and resources, leaving you empty-handed, sad, and
mad at yourself.
Aristotle's advice
No wonder that
envy and discouragement are rampant in contemporary society, possibly
more than in any previous era of humanity. Already in the year 326 B.C.,
Aristotle emphasized the importance of seeking rationality as a way to
attain happiness. Unfortunately, the voice of the philosopher seems long
forgotten.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
Image by Rach ScottHalls under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us