16-Jan-2020
In the modern age, the word struggle has taken on a negative context and connotation, especially for those who think of nothing but rainbows and sunshine. Of course, the world would be great for everyone if it was just rainbows and sunshine, there’d be no poverty, no human suffering and no need for any struggle – just to survive and live life. Sadly, it isn’t so and you generally don’t have to look very far to see many of the tragedies unfolding across the entire planet. Just be thankful that it isn’t you but it could very well have been. In fact, it is likely that you are also struggling for something right now, whatever that might be. This in itself is the essence of human nature, to live, to want and to have a better life. It’s not right or wrong, it just is.
Yes, it is important to have hope and believe that tomorrow is better but herein lies the problem, how does one turn a belief into reality? There are many people who have done it, billionaires and multi-millionaires are plentiful. Countless spiritual authors have written books that recited their stories of reaching enlightenment and the list goes on. Yet for most, the goal of a better life has remained elusive and the search goes on. The yearning and demand to be ‘successful’ is so great that there are now numerous personalities, institutions and corporations, which existed solely to provide you with the answers or a path to success. Want to be rich? There are courses on multi-dimensional black arts marketing. Or maybe invest in anything from coffee beans to bitcoins and unicorn tears. The possibilities are endless. Yet despite paying for those courses, following every instruction to the letter, you haven’t quite nailed it and retiring on a beach in Mexico remains a pipe dream.
Or perhaps you are one of the lucky ones who have done it, currently sipping cocktails on a beach, only to realise the beach lifestyle is not all it cracks up to be. So you go on to the next challenge, whatever suits your fancy. The recurring theme is, as long as you live, there will be new problems and challenges. What matters, is how you deal with them and whether you can deal with them effectively.
The so call successful people, already having discovered the secrets and accumulated the resources, are able to keep on top of any challenges as they arise. For example, Jeff Bezos has a marriage issue, he solved it by giving the now ex-wife a few billion dollars whilst keeping a few more billions for himself. He’s still able to do the things he does and wanted to do. In fact, he can say, ‘yea, I’ve nailed it’. However, things are different for the average joe, whom on the other hand, just lost the house and is broke from paying for the lawyers and child support. Same problem, very different outcomes.
Struggle Perpetual is not about getting rich – although it is nice, it is about building up the skill sets and resources to deal with some of life’s inevitable issues and problems, thereby mitigate some of the suffering. Make no mistake, suffering is inevitable and at times necessary for growth. But to be able to overcome and fix suffering, that’s the best feeling of all.
Struggle Perpetual 