By Dr. Bruce Smith ——Bio and Archives--February 6, 2024
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Many times every day we encounter problems that need solutions. Each time we face a choice, we must find a way to go forward. We must find a way.
We must find a way to make the most of what we are given. Only rarely is it the same that is given to others. Living by comparison to others is not good, whether others wish us well or ill. It really means turning our self-esteem over to others. Those who wish us ill love this. It gives them the power they crave.
It helps to find a way to see the best in our circumstances. There are always others who see how our situation could be different, but others aren’t very good at considering our interests. Always looking at the down side doesn’t help.
We must find a way to look at things differently, to look on the bright side, the positive side. We can always find plenty to regret that we didn’t do, or that we did badly. Seek the benefits of every bad situation. Look to the bright side for inspiration.
We must find a way to self-counsel, taking advantage of help when we can find it, then relying on ourselves to make the good advice work
We must find a way to keep our detractors from dwelling rent-free in our heads. We must find a way to avoid contact with those who seek to beat us down. We do not work for them or act at their bidding. We are individuals, not serfs or slaves.
We must find a way to discover the real intentions of others: are they only self-serving, or do they really care for us? If they are only or mostly self-serving, we must be wary of their wiles.
We must find a way to escape the negatives of our pasts.
We must find a way to draw upon the strengths and lessons of our pasts.
We must find a way to experience happiness in our work, because we were made for productive labor, not idleness. We must rest when we need to. Even machines need maintenance and down time. A good balance is necessary for everyone.
We must find a way to be optimistic, even while we are preparing for difficult days. If we are downcast, we make easier targets and better victims. Depression saps energy and diminishes results.
We must find a way to avoid frantic worry, because it only draws down our energy and determination. Panic over a looming test just makes it worse. The solution is to be well prepared. Then we have done our best.
We must find a way to be true to our selves, so that we canst be false to any man. If we are not healthy and strong in our minds, then the door is open for any creeping thing to come in during the night in order to spoil tomorrow.
We must find a way to deal with our physical limitations, too. This applies to any age. When we are younger we hardly know the limits, but when we get older, or really old, we feel the limits much more. There are limits at every stage of life, so it helps to work with them to keep our perspective. As younger people, we try to direct our efforts toward what we must do, but also to what we ought to do. Later in life some of the limiting is done for us, but we still must direct our efforts intelligently, or perhaps even wisely.
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We must find a way to constructively direct the effects of our hormone levels, be they elevated or ebbing. This is because culture changes much faster than our physical selves. Hormones prompt us to do things we scarcely understand. They make demands hinting that ‘it’s the way things are, and must be.’ But we must be in control of ourselves at all times.
We must find a way to channel our wisdom, often acquired at heavy cost, to lead us in the paths of helpfulness and charity. We must allow ourselves to benefit from our own lessons. We should know ourselves better and better, much better than others know us, and act according to our own prudent needs.
We must find a way to deal with our changing perspectives. We don’t see the world as 22 year-olds now, although we can go back there in our heads and relive a bit of it now and then. We must think and reason and let rash proposals sort themselves first so they can be evaluated BEFORE we act upon them.
Above all, we must find a way, every day, to make what we must do as pleasant as possible, or at least as rewarding as possible. In the absence of these, we must understand why it is necessary, to understand why we must do it.
It’s very helpful to make a virtue out of necessity. If our necessities are modest, they’re easier to achieve. With time and luck, necessity can become virtue that becomes routine. Therein lies the prospect of a good life.
I like the admonition sometimes heard in military training: Adapt! Improvise! Overcome! Translation: We must find a way!
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Dr. Bruce Smith (Inkwell, Hearth and Plow) is a retired professor of history and a lifelong observer of politics and world events. He holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. In addition to writing, he works as a caretaker and handyman. His non-fiction book The War Comes to Plum Street, about daily life in the 1930s and during World War II, may be ordered from Indiana University Press.