“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
– Abraham Lincoln
Growing up on a farm gives one a perspective on adversity. Floods, still-born calves, hail, droughts, market fluctuations – sometimes, shit just happens.
Competing in sports gives one an interesting perspective on adversity. Playing your best, but the other guy(s) playing better. A bad hop. A bad call. A missed connection. Sometimes, the best team or player doesn’t win.
Every morning and evening, driving the 16 miles or so from our home to the office and back, I see two or three folks begging for money at intersections. “Disabled veteran,” says one sign. “Single mom, every little bit helps,” says another. It gives one an interesting perspective on adversity.
(Disclaimer: I wish there was some way to really tell if these people were victims of adverse circumstances, or whether they were just actors in a play no one wants to see…)
It makes one wonder.
Why are we so lucky? Why are we so blessed? Why are we faced with the option to give some of what we have so much of, comparatively, when others are faced with real, perhaps even desperate need?
I wonder what I’d do if I were faced with real, or perhaps even desperate need. So, in attempt to have all the floods, losses, still-borne calves and bad hops / calls make a difference, perhaps we’re called upon to draw on those experiences, to make better decisions because of them. Perhaps adversity comes along to make us better – if we’ll let it.
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