"WE COULD NEVER LEARN TO BE BRAVE AND PATIENT, IF THERE WERE ONLY JOY IN THE WORLD". HOW FAR DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS QUOTE? IN WHAT WAY IS OUR HAPPINESS LINKED TO OUR ABILITY TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES IN LIFE?
happiness versus obstacles in life
Everyone is bound to encounter ups and downs in life and life's greatest lessons are learned through hardships, and according to Helen Keller: "We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world". I totally agree with this quote.
From my perspective, the quote means that only by facing challenges do we gain bravery and patience and if life is always a bowl full of cherries, we may not improve ourselves. Patience is the ability to wait or continue doing despite difficulties. Bravery is defined as being courageous behavior and is the virtue that is hard to acquire. Tackling problems requires boldness to take actions and persistence in trying and even keeping faith. It also helps us gain more mental strength. If we are continually filled with happiness, life may seems so effortless and we will never be better at it. Joy can not teach us to be daring and calm nor get hold of our feelings.
Our happiness and ability to overcome obstacles in life are closely related. It is obvious that we will feel relief and happy whenever we manage to encounter barrier successfully. The pleasure motivates us to do more bravely in life and get more experience. And, when we fail once or twice, the happiness that we gained before also makes us resilient and start over. Happiness is about being able to make the most of the good times and to cope efficiently with the bad times as we are in a fixed mindset and connect closely with others.