PERSISTENCE

The concept of hope is not one that appeals to me much these days. With a chain of sad events that have occurred in my life, I cannot be blamed for my pessimistic approach to life. Life is unfair. And I think the more I accept this reality, the easier it becomes to accept disappointments.

The idea of hope, for many, stems of baseless expectation of future bliss. Most people hope that their fortunes will change without even considering their reality or ability to bring about the required change they need. This has created an avenue for miscreants to pillage the scarce resources of many. In this part of the world where I come from, most people rather spend hours in a spiritual place of worship praying and hearing words of inspiration than putting those hours into something meaningful so that their hopes and dreams can become a reality. They believe that their lives will change overnight if they dedicate their time and resource to a God whom they think is oblivious of their laziness.

I might just be making a case against lazy people, but how about the strong-willed-- those who are putting in the required effort to see that their work amounts to something in life. It is quite unfortunate but they are confronted with the same reality. Although their chances of succeeding are greater, nothing in is guaranteed. Many people are not conscious of this fact and when reality sets in, as it always will, these set of persons fall into a deep depression. I don't blame them though. It all stems from the type of orientation they have about life. Plus, your favorite motivational speaker will not earn anything tangible for himself if he told you that life is a 50-50 chance. Everyone wants to believe they can succeed and what better way to affirm those expectations than hearing those exact words from someone else.

If nothing is guaranteed then what's the essence of trying?

I live with this awareness that life owes me nothing and it can be very unfair sometimes. Just the mere thought of it can cripple one's will to succeed in life. Nevertheless, I keep pushing. I don't know, maybe the thought of defeat rattles me even more than my fears. The thought of just being suck in one place--a place where I do not desire, is a more damning fate than the harsh reality of life.

I wake up every day knowing I have a fighting chance despite the odds against me. Maybe you will classify this as hope and maybe you're right and indeed I am hopeful to an extent, that I will gain something tangible out of life in exchange of my time and effort. I do not believe that life owes me anything but that does not kill my exceptions because I'm alive and breathing, striving for a better life for myself and the people I love

It has taken and will still take some hard knocks but that's just life for you. Failing is inevitable but being a failure or succumbing to defeat is not an option I'm willing to take. I pick myself up after every failed attempt at my goal and try again.

The basic thing I want you all to grasp today is that your dreams might not be the only motivating factor that keeps you going in difficult times. Sometimes, like in my case, the mere thought of giving up can spur you into action. It is like one of those epic scenes in a movie, where a warrior, after being battered--at the point of death, summons the strength to fight fearlessly even though he knows that he will never survive the battle. That I-won't-go-down-without-a-fight kind of attitude is what keeps me going.

You don't need a dreamy view of the future to motive yourself. Everything might be dark and scary but you doggedness and stubborn approach to life can make the experience a worthy one. Also, no one will condemn you for not trying because you did. You gave and still give your best. That's what makes the difference in life. Persist.

©nonsowrites

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Image source: https://pixabay.com/photo-100367/

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Original post by me, also posted here