Scars

Have you ever heard of the old Celtic legend about hardships? Legend has it, that every person is given the opportunity to choose every hardship that they will experience in their lives. The point is to choose challenges that will push them to their limits, helping them to learn and grow along the way, while not becoming defeated by them. I guess it's a test, some pick more difficult obstacles to overcome, just to show that they can do it. If we go by this logic, then a lot of people must have picked crappy lives just to be showoffs.

When I read about this, all I could think about was what utter nonsense it was. We don't get to pick and choose what battles we must face, those battles are different for everyone, and they're just a part of life. Some people get dealt better hands than others. But the truth is, everyone goes through something at some point in their life. You can't play hide and seek with it. Pain doesn't discriminate, everyone experiences it.

So, now we move onto the subject of understanding. Some people think they have all the answers, when in reality, they don't even understand the question. There are those who choose to look but not see, to listen but not hear. I know a few like that. The important thing to know is that we have the power to create understanding from pain. How? By telling our stories. Whatever is imprinted on the pages of your storybook is yours to own, it's your story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. All those scars covering you from life experiences are priceless. Yes, pain sucks, but without it we wouldn't know joy. Pain shapes you, it molds your character, it teaches you something that cannot be taught from a book. Real learning doesn't come from reading about a particular subject, but from living it.

If given the chance to live a life with pain, or live a life of nothing, I choose the pain. Why? Because you can't learn anything from nothing.