No Life Without Strife

Never forget that the greatest of all wisdoms,
the Bhagavad Gita, was revealed on the battlefield.

"You are not judged by the height you have risen, but from the depth you have climbed." ~ Frederick Douglass

When times get hard in life, we too often fold our hand and withdraw ourselves from the game. But in reality, that is our opportunity to shine. Think about every great person who has a book written about them or a movie depicting their life. Now take away the difficulties from their life and remove all the challenges. What remains is nothing.

There is little to learn from the life of comfort and success. It is when you are pushed to the limit that you learn to dig deeper. It is when you get thrown to the ground that your true potential is actualized. The strife we face is what brings out the best in us.

Hence, we need a paradigm shift. Rather than measuring ourselves by the money we earn or the recognition we get, we ought to assess our life by the battles we have fought and the victories scored in them. That is the true test of our character, the true proof of our greatness.

If Goliath had not been his opponent,
David would have hardly been a legendary hero.

And then on those days when I fall asleep without having ventured into any darkness, without having withstood any heat, let me ask myself, "Did I truly live today?" For if I have not struggled one bit this day, chances are I have also not grown in any way.