Ups and Downs

The world doesn’t always work the way we want it to.

Our world isn’t how we think it is. We cloud our judgement and fill in the unknown with nonsense that makes us feel better about the things we’re dealing with at the time.

I’m definitely not immune to this.

We’re mistaken in our thinking of how we want the world to be, and not how it is. Understanding that it’s inevitable to have ups and downs throughout our lives. Unexpected hardship makes us think and do things we’d never imagined when things are calm. This is what life is made of – experiencing the good times and the bad.

Richard Nixon who was speaking in an interview said, ”what makes life mean something is purpose, a goal, the battle, the struggle – even if you don’t win it.”

John D. Rockefeller said something similar in a letter to his son ”the essence of life is struggle and competition, struggle and competition are stimulating.”

Know that as we go through our lives we will inevitably encounter difficult times. The way we handle these challenges will have an impact in shaping our character and giving us meaning.

For me, I try to approach the unknown of our future with a general optimism, because l’m confident that our species will continue to grow and prosper despite the setbacks. History is filled with many examples of this.

Morgan Housel has a quote ”world war II began on horseback in 1939 and finished with nuclear fission in 1945.” The incentive of the difficult situation at the time fuelled the problem solving and innovation that was to come.

Sometimes in life we have to pass through the fire. Please, keep your head up.

Thank you for reading.

J.H.Repetto