Two sides of the same coin

The modern world is very demanding. We’ve got a myriad of responsibilities in our day-to-day lives. Then, there’s hope―a vision of a better future propels us forward but at the same time we’re held back by unattended quarrels with our past selves. On top of that, we’re torn into each and every direction by all the shiny objects around us and all the things we’re told we should be doing, instead of this. It’s enough to drive anyone mad.

Fortunately, it’s not a sentiment unique to you, me, or anyone; it’s the essence of humanity. As Marcus Aurelius reminds us, this isn’t unusual or unnatural.
A guitar getting out of tune with the change of temperature is part of the experience of a guitar. A leaf springs into existence, flourishes, and falls at the gush of a sudden wind, all part of the experience of a leaf.
The human experience? Joy, then despair. Satisfaction, then disatisfaction. Order, then chaos. Order again, chaos again. The list goes on: a cheat, a leech, a thief, arrogance, violence, greed, then there’s love, honesty, courage, generosity, and kindness―all part of the human experience. Understandably, we tend to resist the unpleasant elements of our human experience thinking they shouldn’t be happening and dwell on how “unfair” it is that they’re happening to us.
But the reality is that these things are as natural as they are necessary, for without one, there can’t be the other. Like the warm sun after a violent storm. Two sides of the same coin.

We must also remember that it’s not personal. The hand of fate, fortune, nature, the universe, or God―call it what you want―is impartially blind; it gives and takes with no intention or remorse. The cards you’ve been dealt are what you’ve got to play with and no amount of complaining will get you a better deck. Don’t allow yourself to be caught wasting energy on resistance and denial, at least not for too long. Instead, you can lean into your current reality and remember that whatever you’re going through is just one side of the coin; you’ve got what it takes to turn it around. If you didn’t, it wouldn’t have been put your way.