THE JOURNEY OF LIFE

Human beings fall into two categories. One group is shaped in the school of hardship, and the other in the school of ease. At first, it may seem better to grow up in comfort. But the true making of a human being happens only in hardship, not in ease. Someone has rightly said:

“It is not ease, but effort—not facility, but difficulty, that makes men.”

In the stream of life, countless people are struck by difficulties. Yet experience shows that generally there are two outcomes. One group cannot withstand hardship. They sink into despair and remain broken in spirit. The other group shows strength of character. They face hardships head-on and, in the end, succeed in building a life for themselves.

But this second group always pays a price for its success. Struggles with material things also make them materialistic in thinking. They see that being deprived of possessions made them worthless in society, and once they gained those possessions, they regained value in the same society. The result is that they become completely materialistic. For them, losing material things means real loss, and gaining them means real gain.

The true benefit of hardship lies in the lessons it teaches. But this benefit comes only when a person suffers misfortune yet is not crushed by it. He may experience life’s bitterness, but rises above it to reflect. Hardships and difficulties should serve as experiences to learn from—not as forces that shape his entire outlook.