How To Live Through The Worst Days Of Your Life
Posted: Thursday, February 25, 2010
by Michael Ramzy
delusionthread.com
Another in a long line of beautiful days here in America, of course. I say 'of course' because we all know things could be, and might have been, much different. Our history, the history of the world, in fact, is full of choices and decisions made at the right time. Sometimes I wonder if people were less self-absorbed (in other words, had less 'stuff' in their lives) an entire universe of choices and decisions would open for them.
All of us go through our lives in basically the same way. We eat, we sleep, we work, we love, we lose, and sometimes we have those magical moments which define us. Those moments can be either full of hope or full of exceeding despair. The choice we make at those moments defines not only what comes next, but how that magical moment of hope or despair will change us. And change us it will.
Some think the worst thing in their life right now might be their haircut, or the fact their car has a dent which they can't afford to fix. These are obviously light problems. Others have no job, no savings, no foreseeable way out of the mess they are in. These problems are harder, of course, yet they are not the end of the world. It might be hard to realize that now, at this magical moment (yes, even moments of despair are in their own way 'magical'), but things will get better.
Do I know this for certain? Yes. Do I have hope, regardless of circumstance? Yes. Why? Because of one simple word, one word which makes all of the problems, both simple and hard, seem almost trivial. That word is perspective.
Let me give you an example: In World War 2, Hitler hurled his Luftwaffe at Britain for over one hundred days in an attempt to destroy the Royal Air Force as a prelude to invasion. First he went after the British shipping, and when that didn't work he went after the airfields. When that didn't work he sent over a thousand bombers nightly to set London ablaze. The British people didn't give in or give up; instead, they dug in an swore their mighty Empire wouldn't bow to a lowly colonel from Austria. Thirty-thousand people died in the raging fires of London during this bombardment.
Running late for work? Your dog ate your sofa? Your boss giving you a hard time? Think of the above paragraph.
There are literally thousands of other examples where thousands (or millions) lost their lives either through war, disease, earthquakes (remember Haiti was only a few weeks ago?), tsunamis, you name it. Sure, it's easy to think it happens over there, or it happens to them. But stop for one moment and wonder what it would be like to wake up and find your entire city leveled from an earthquake, or - to go back to the example above - to not be able to sleep because your city was being bombed into submission night after night, week after week . . . It's easy to think of them as over there, yet think of those lives, those problems, and perhaps it is a little easier to handle some of our own.
Perspective is everything. Sure, we lose loved ones and jobs and houses and sometimes everything. Sometimes we can never retrieve what we've lost, sometimes it just seems that way. Often, it seems things will never get better. Just remember perspective and remember to believe in who you are and can be, and it will get better with time.
Have hope and believe . . .
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)Timely piece for me. Thank you, Michael for a well-written encouraging article.All the very best,NenitaThanks so much. I just think we all need to realize our good fortune living in America, in spite of the national problems we have (health care, national debt, etc.). I know it's an old expression, but things could definitely be worse. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Very well put Mike, yes we here in America don't really know how good we have it in comparison to other countries.I hope it doesn't take another catastrophe like 9/11 to awaken us to the realities of life.I sure hope the same. It is sad to think it takes something like that, or the recent suicide attack here in Austin (the idiot who flew his plane into the IRS), to bring people together. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Great article, Mike. Someone once said that as long as we have a mouth in America, we will be fed, and as long as we have shoulders, we will be clothed. I hope that continues.
Best....eI have no doubt it will continue, as long as we all realize what is in our national best interest. We have the ability to feed and clothe ourselves with our own resources, and hopefully we'll go back to that and rely less on others. Also, we all have the ability here in America to rise to our fullest potential if only we realize whatever 'station' we find ourselves is not permanent, that with our heads and our hearts we can rise above any injustice.Thanks as always, sir.
Wonderful article, Michael.Perspective is everything.Thanks Ken, as always.
hi michael,my sentiments exactly.i believe in relating, not comparing, and it's a hard concept to grasp on to, but i feel if someone lost their diamond ring, passed down 4 generations, sentimental, spiritual to the woman, and they feel devastated and sad and depressed and hopeless, what we think are bigger things, like losing an arm, etc. can be related to the woman who felt all the same feelings, although materistically, one's hardship may be worse than another.i think faith and hope are our strongest assets,my best to you,sueAgreed. There is an old saying that goes something like this: 'If you lose everything in your life, you only have faith. If you only have faith, you can achieve everything you want.' Thanks for reading and commenting.
Great uplifting article Michael. It is amazing how people in America do come together in times of trouble. Thanks for sharing.Thanks. It's also too bad that it takes times of trouble or usually some kind of catastrophe to bring us all together.
Outstanding article!Thank you sir, as always.
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