Being Strong

I don't think that people are born strong or weak, nor do I believe that the final outcome of one's mental constitution, shaped initially by environment or upbringing, is a foregone conclusion.

Instead, it's a choice: being strong means choosing to be optimistic in the face of the overwhelming pessimism that surrounds us all.

Don't pretend like you don't know what I mean-- living in this age means being constantly assaulted by nay-saying voices and barbed criticisms. Most of the time they don't even come from people (that would be avoidable). Instead, they come from the media we willingly choose to surround ourselves with. Like a poisoned mirror, the thing we covet most, our image, indirectly attacks us: reminding ourselves of our inferiority. The perpetrators? To find them you need only turn on your TV and see the ads that show you a slimmer version of yourself, one with whiter teeth and a fuller head of hair, or flip through your social media and see your 'friends' living better lives than your own. The message is clear: you'll never be enough. You need this beauty product, that expensive car, this sense of style. There's always somebody better, more popular, more good-looking, more interesting. More this, more that. Always somebody better.

The smart thing to do would be to run away, away from the media. But that's not so easy. That which hurts us, also brings us great pleasure. It inflates our ego, fans the flames of our self-value, and our addiction to this personal aggrandization is not one that can easily be kicked.

So what's left is the choice of rising above the negativity. It's not easy.

--

P.S. In regards to the previous post, I'm not religious, but that's beside the point. I think there's a message in there that can apply to anyone, irrespective of religious leaning.