Summary

The article discusses the lost art of maintaining inner peace and even smiling during times of hardship, emphasizing the strength and humility found in accepting life's challenges with grace and integrity.

Abstract

The piece titled "The Lost Art Of Smiling During Hardship" delves into the concept of facing adversity with a sense of calm and composure, akin to a dragonfly gliding over water. It contrasts the reactions of those who succumb to fear and despair with those who manage to find serenity amidst chaos. The author argues that smiling in the face of trials is not indicative of happiness, contentment, or certainty about the future, but rather a profound acknowledgment of human fragility and an acceptance of life's unpredictability. This perspective is rooted in the wisdom that life deals us certain hands that we must play, rather than the illusion that we can shape our reality at will. The article concludes by advocating for a surrender to life's terms as a means to thrive, suggesting that true strength lies in being at peace with any outcome.

Opinions

The author believes that some people navigate hardships with ease and even smile, not out of happiness or contentment, but from a place of deep inner peace and acceptance.
There is a critique of the modern self-improvement movement's notion that one can shape their reality at will, labeling it as a juvenile and flawed understanding of the human experience.
The article posits that recognizing our vulnerability as human beings is crucial to finding the humility necessary to smile during suffering.
It is suggested that the ability to smile during hardship is a sign of maturity and wisdom, reflecting an understanding that life's challenges are to be dealt with rather than chosen.
The author encourages readers to embrace life fully, accepting its terms, which in turn allows for personal growth and resilience.

The Lost Art Of Smiling During Hardship

You march forward. You keep doing so for a seemingly eternal time.

Everything is smooth. So smooth that you have lacked the needed awareness to stop and assess.

You’ve been drifting away on the river of success while forgetting that a hungry waterfall is waiting for you on the front end.

It’s too late. Here comes the plunge!

You are now drowning, deep, battered by the currents. You suddenly find yourself barely breathing. You are submerged and swimming in despair.

Some will go through this sort of experience with a sense of worry and inner disturbance. They are scared, anxious and hopeless.

After all, they barely see the shore, let alone what is beyond.

Whereas others will go about the obstacle in front of them with a sense of ease, almost lightness, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of a pond.

And a few of them will accomplish a more significant feat: smiling.

Smiling not because they are happy.

Not because they are content with their situation and outcome.

Not because they know what to do next.

Not because they are confident that everything will go right for them, the way they imagined it.

Not because they appreciate the dirty situation they are currently in.

Not because they take the situation lightly.

And not because they are forced to smile.

But simply because they are feeling at peace in the midst of the chaos. They are comfortable sitting there in stillness and looking at the havoc straight in the eyes and telling their mind in a crystal clear way:

‘’ You cannot drown the swimmer who is detached from the consequences of the vortex swallowing him deep into the ocean. I will either end up victorious, sooner or later or leave this world with courage, grace and integrity. Either way, I am at peace with WHATEVER comes my way. Therefore, I smile.’’

Smiling right after a trial is a way of recognizing the supreme, indisputable truth that all beings are fragile and vulnerable, in one way or another.

We have been and constantly are given cards to deal with, not to choose from. This is the reality. The massively common illusion of ‘’shaping your reality at will’’ that we tend to see in this new age, self-improvement movement is flawed and depicts a juvenile way of looking at the world, lacking the wisdom that is part and parcel of the human experience.

Thus, this profound humility is paramount to being able to smile in the middle of an odd context like during suffering or hardship.

So my friends, Surrender to Life so that you can Thrive.