2008 Woodie Awards
The Benefits of Adversity for the Human Spirit
Brett Heiney
Issue date: 4/14/06 Section: Opinions
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In life we always face trials and tribulations; we all face adversity. Pope John Paul II viewed adversity as a gift from God, and thus it is something to be cherished. We, as humans, tend to only see the negative aspects of adversity, and not what those negative aspects truly mean.
I believe that we are never given more than we can handle, and when adversity comes we can overcome it. Adversity is a challenge that we must rise to face and not from which we should run.
Life does not always go as we would like it, but to truly appreciate our lives we must learn from the good times and learn from the bad. To paraphrase a line from Anthony Hopkins' character in the movie The Edge, we are all put to the test, but it rarely happens at the time or point in our lives that we would like.
Humanity is stronger than many think, and our greatest strengths shine when we are put to the test. We have survived for two million years as a species and that might be young in the grand scheme of things. However, we have survived war, famine, plague, natural disasters, holocausts, the downfall of civilizations, hate, love, envy, and life. We have been through an awful lot as a species, as a civilization, and the trials of our kind have only made us stronger and more resilient.
I have often been accused of having too good of an opinion concerning humanity and human nature. I say to those who live their lives viewing humanity as a disgusting, nasty, brutish, and self-destructive lot, what is the point. The problem humanity faces, one of our many adversities is the negative view so many people harbor about us.
We cannot and must not go through life with such a self-defeatist attitude that humanity is doomed to failure and that human disease should be wiped out of existence. How can anyone find any happiness when one has such a poor view of humanity. Changing this view to one that is hopeful and positive would cure many of humanity's woes simply by having many more people appreciating who we are as a people and finding happiness in some things.
I believe that we are never given more than we can handle, and when adversity comes we can overcome it. Adversity is a challenge that we must rise to face and not from which we should run.
Life does not always go as we would like it, but to truly appreciate our lives we must learn from the good times and learn from the bad. To paraphrase a line from Anthony Hopkins' character in the movie The Edge, we are all put to the test, but it rarely happens at the time or point in our lives that we would like.
Humanity is stronger than many think, and our greatest strengths shine when we are put to the test. We have survived for two million years as a species and that might be young in the grand scheme of things. However, we have survived war, famine, plague, natural disasters, holocausts, the downfall of civilizations, hate, love, envy, and life. We have been through an awful lot as a species, as a civilization, and the trials of our kind have only made us stronger and more resilient.
I have often been accused of having too good of an opinion concerning humanity and human nature. I say to those who live their lives viewing humanity as a disgusting, nasty, brutish, and self-destructive lot, what is the point. The problem humanity faces, one of our many adversities is the negative view so many people harbor about us.
We cannot and must not go through life with such a self-defeatist attitude that humanity is doomed to failure and that human disease should be wiped out of existence. How can anyone find any happiness when one has such a poor view of humanity. Changing this view to one that is hopeful and positive would cure many of humanity's woes simply by having many more people appreciating who we are as a people and finding happiness in some things.