Gold does not get its shiny color or pure brightness unless thoroughly heated and gleaned under the high temperatures of a blast furnace or oven.
Gold would appear dull and dirty without such a purification procedure. By the same token, human character and personality become truly eminent, impressive and dignified after passing through the heat of peer criticism, adversities, challenges, and private or public scrutiny, including rigorous training and programming such as obtained in more structured environments like school, church, synagogue and temple.
I Rene personally did not understand this much and I was blind at first, but now I can now see and acknowledge this, that true success in life is just about developing the inner-self of which our physical body is the “avatar,” admitting full responsibility for our circumstances and bouncing back from a temporal fall or state of inertia with renewed hope, faith, courage, determination and perseverance of high ideals, in the midst of adversities or difficult circumstances.
When we accept the argument that the seeds of success or failure lie within us, it becomes our responsibility to make the success seeds to sprout and grow with the help of determined effort and/or endeavors and God.
The common practice of assigning blame to others or to our circumstances weakens our resolve to work hard and reveals our immaturity, dependence and ignorance.
More often than not, the people or circumstances we blame for our plight or condition could very well be the “teachers” sent to us by a higher power or God. That is the universal law, where everything is connected, operates. This principle is captured by the old adage of the “lazy carpenter” who blames his condition on the state of his tools, instead of using his creative ability to alter the circumstances of his life. The carpenter has abnegated his responsibilities by shifting blame or pointing his finger at the inanimate objects or tools. It goes without saying that under the same difficult circumstances that some might cry and curse their fate, others may receive new inspiration and seek the opportunity to test and refine their God-given potentials or talents.
“Our attitude is our altitude.”
A weak mentality or an undeveloped mind creates terrible circumstances in their negative thinking and illusive imagination while losing eternal peace and blaming God, circumstances and other people. On the other hand, strong mentality or a trained mind develops courage or internal fortitude from adversity to think and endeavor to find solutions or fight adversity with dignity. Such is the difference between success and failure and the essence of character and true nobility.
“We can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us.”
Hurt, calamity and hardship or adversity play an important role in the refinement of thought, action, habit, character and our destiny. These characteristics strengthen our resolve, sharpen our talents and modify our overall personality to fight. Yet, the narrow divide between success and failure in life is defined by our response to external stimuli, fight or flight. And our response is contingent upon our attitude, which is also based on our assumptions, conditions and conditioning and/or state of mind. This author does not believe in pre-destination.
If only we could recognize the importance of impedance, and accept the challenges posed by every day adversities or painful experiences or dire circumstances, then we would all make good use of them and become better people.
“No pain, no gain,” is the mantra for risk taking and nothing good comes with ease. Nothing in this life is guaranteed and that is why diligence is inevitable in success. Pain is the flip-side of gain and they come in the same package, whether we like it or not. Hurt and happiness go hand-in-hand. They co-exist. No?
How about removing the friction on the surface of the earth to make the earth absolutely smooth. Then we would not be able to walk an inch on earth without slipping and falling. Try walking on ice. I would dare to conjecture that this Life is hardly a bed of roses without thorns. And think about the Law of Gravity; “Everything that goes up must come down.” So, flight isn’t always the best answer to stimulus of pain or adversity. Sometimes, we need to fight. The terrible times, impediments/obstacles, hurts, tears, frustrations and challenges posed by unpredictable and unsteady circumstances at physical and emotional levels of our human existence, are akin to instruments or tools offered by God for the exaltation of the human spirit, the realization of our full potential or self-actualization.
Those engineers who mine gold or diamond know they have to dig deep into the ground to discover that which is their hearts desire. They know that gold and diamond are not always found on the surface. They also recognize the fact that “all that glitters is not gold,” and so they find the need to prospect with the aid of technology to hit the real deal. We too must learn to work diligently to find that which we deem precious. The gold mine is our mind. Adversity, hurt, pain, sweat, equity, risk and disappointment, constitute an integral part of the equation for a healthy balance in life.
Even our Lord Jesus Christ, endured pain and hurt in the hands of mere mortals. He was accused falsely, insulted, assaulted, physically abused (flogged, spat on, etc.), made to carry His own cross and crucified. Christ went through physical and emotional pain for the redemption of our sins. He could have invoked the power of God and requested the force of a legion of Angels to deliver Him, but he didn’t. Why?
In the final analysis, “every problem contains within itself, the seed of its own solution,” and all that is required of us is to think with a pure and generous heart, void of any negative impulse, including emotions such as fear, anger, shame, envy, hate, jealousy, malice, regret and revenge. These negative tendencies tend to inhibit our marginal propensity to think proactively and positively. They limit our capacity to become creative and versatile. These negative impulses reduce our level of constructive reasoning, impair our judgement and prevent the appearance of clairvoyance in our decision making. They limit our God-Given potential and power of creative thinking and problem solving. Peace and universal prosperity do not abound or dwell under such circumstances or conditions
“As a man thinketh, so is he.”
A renewal of the mind of man is what must become the ultimate desire for righteous thinking. Our mind is a dangerous place to waste, planting foolishness. And if we only reap what we sow, then why waste precious time and energy sowing weed or hatred, instead of love or grain in the most valuable part of our being?
If you plant good you will reap goodness, but if you plant evil you will reap only the devil incarnate. Thought are things.
Remember, LOVE is the GREATEST LAW to obey!