PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING

When Times Are Tough, Learn How To Be Strong From Trees

From its roots to its leaves, trees are one of the greatest symbols of strength

Life is a never ending rollercoaster. It’s full of ups and downs, corners, swerves, moments that will take your breath away, and moments that will make you feel like you just want it all to end.

The consistency of which it is uncertain is truly an amazing, and yet, frightening thing.

But people rarely talk about when things are great because where’s the fun in that?

When everything is rosy, there’s nothing to complain about.

There are no hurdles or obstacles to overcome.

What people mostly talk about are moments where things are not so great, when things don’t go according to plan, when disaster after disaster happens, when you feel like you’ve fallen into a deep dark hole and you’re struggling to climb out of it.

In other words, people love talking about tough times.

Why?

Maybe it’s because its moments like that, that really determines the kind of person you are — whether you have what it takes to get through it or not.

It’s easy to go through easy times.

But tough times? That’s a true test of character, isn’t it?

There’s that saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going,” but have you ever wondered, just how does one get tough in the first place?

We’ve all probably been in dark places before.

I went through depression not too long ago during the lockdown and while I got out of it OK, I didn’t feel tough at all.

It was actually the toughness and strength of those around me that helped me to get through it.

But in particular, it was one metaphor that truly helped — the strength of trees.

There’s a Japanese saying that I really like.

If you feel like you’re losing everything, remember, trees lose their leaves every year, yet they still stand tall and wait for better days to come.

It’s basically telling us that we are like trees and life is like the environment in which the trees are in — it causes them to lose their leaves.

Life will throw shit after shit after shit at us. It can be truly relentless, cruel, and a downright bully.

But just like how trees loses their leaves, in a way, we have to lose ours too — our leaves being certain things or areas in our lives that we need to let go, to ‘lose’ them.

And just like how the trees still stand tall and wait for better days to come, it is the same for us. Tough days are a natural part of life. Like the trees, we too need to stay strong and eventually, better days will come.

I lost friends during the pandemic.

They weren’t as lucky as I was.

I made it out OK. I’m still around, still standing strong, still waiting and working towards better days.

I wish they had the same support system that I had, that they had people around them who would remind them that they’re strong too, and will eventually make it out fine.

Because we are all strong — we just tend to forget it sometimes.

You, the one reading this right now, you’re as strong as the strongest tree out there.

No matter what shit comes your way, you’re strong enough to stand tall.

Even if you lose all your ‘leaves,’ you’ll just get news one later on and they’ll bloom into the prettiest things ever.

The moment we came into this world, we already won at life.

So no matter what life throws at us, we’re strong enough to take it, throw it back, and be stronger for it.

Just like a tree, that’s how you learn to be strong.

And you are strong already, believe it.