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Weakness
08:43 Nov 09 2008
Times Read: 635

We all have weaknesses, we all have flaws in our character and in our person that prevents us from achieving the impossible goal of perfection. It's in the nature of being human and they're a part of what make us unique.



However, not all weaknesses are created equal. The same as there are different levels of talent and accolade, there are levels of weakness and mortality.



First we have the minor weaknesses, the things we're not good at but wish we were. It could be something as simple as an inability to balance a checkbook or understand a scientific idea. These are minor things that we can usually overcome with work but we usually just ignore and live with since they're mere annoyances on the grand scale of things.



Then we have our major weaknesses, flaws that are hard-wired into our lives often as trade-offs for the talents we possess and enjoy. Though with time and care we often reduce the impact they have on our lives, we can never completely get rid of them. Like a hermit struggling with people skills or a writer wrestling with math, these are gaping holes in our skill set that can never be completely filled in, no matter how hard we try. Many people spend their entire lives working around these weaknesses or trying to eliminate them, both of which are in vain.



But then there's our mortal weakness. More than just a skill we lack or a something we can't do, this is something that cuts us to the very core of our being. Something that hits us at our most primal. It's a critical, tragic flaw that we all know exists but can do nothing to stop. We can try to control it, to work around it or to somehow deal with it, but it always resurfaces, usually when we least want it, to bring tragedy back into our lives.



The ancient Greeks understood this, that's why, in their tragedies, their leads always had a fatal flaw. Be it arrogance, greed, overzealousness or a terminal lack of foresight, the main character almost always had some mortal weakness and it always brought about his or her downfall, usually in grand fashion.



Though some claim to lack such a weakness, they're blind to their own faults and that will do them more harm than any one weakness could. Knowing thyself and the flaws that we possess is more important than being remotely perfect. I know my mortal weakness, I know most of my major ones and as many minor ones as I can, I acknowledge them openly. Turning a blind eye to your weaknesses is simply giving them the opportunity to sneak up on you and hurt you all the more.



So take a moment and ponder your flaws, try to understand a side of yourself few want to see. Be honest and even brutal. It's the only way you can learn about yourself and determine where your faults rest.



Because even though you can't control your greatest weakness, knowing of it's existence and being prepared for it gives you a measure of control over it. And, if you can't eliminate something that's hurting you, controlling it is the next best thing.



And doing so will prevent you from winding up like the characters in the Greek tragedies we know and love. Because even though you can't guarantee prosperity, you can avoid tragedy and that is more than most people would be able to say if they lived a dozen lifetimes.

Darkest Hours
05:49 Nov 08 2008
Times Read: 637




There are times when the world is just too much. When fate, fortune and the will of man all turn against us and the deck is simply stacked too deep for us to come out ahead. These are times when a stiff upper lip and a drive to push on simply aren’t enough. These are times of desperation, of hopelessness and of isolation.



Many turn to their faith, hoping and praying for relief, others reflect within, searching for answers within themselves when none can be found in the world around them. But no matter where you turn or where you look, you always learn about yourself and, in that small regard, our darkest times can be turned into our most valuable asset.



For when we’re just going about our lives, we’re practically standing still. We’re not changing or making any effort to improve, we’re simply drifting. With shifts happening over months and years and little idea where we’re going, just a vague idea of where we’ve been, we learn nothing and grow little.



The moments that move us not only change us, but show us the direction that we’re heading. For the first times in our lives, we see who we really are, what we’re becoming and are given the power to change it. Through the tears, pain and loss comes a sense of opportunity, a chance to rebuild, to improve and to grow.



In the long run, we are defined more by our dark times than the times we were just surviving. Our darkest hours are the ones that cast the sharpest contrast on our life, change us the most and make us who we are.



Though that doesn’t reduce the sting of those times when we’re in the thick of them, nor is it meant to, it means that there is always hope, a chance for a brighter future and better days. For no destruction takes place without presenting and opportunity for recreation and no dark times can pass without providing valuable lessons and a chance to become something stronger.



So yes, right now we need to cry our tears and mourn our losses. Yes, we need to deal with the tragedies that have surrounded us and cope the best that we can. But through it all, we must remember that the future is being written today, even as history is being destroyed.



Finally, we must remember that when we emerge from these times, no matter when that is, we’ll all be changed people, wiser, stronger and with a new understanding of who we are. We must use that to work toward creating a better future, a greater tomorrow.



That’s the only way to ensure that what was lost hasn’t perished in vain and the only way to paint a picture of our lives defined not by the darkest hours, but by the lessons learned from them.