Adversity #003
The shoemaker and the general
It’s raining today — you can hear the thunder in the distance. This morning will not be a rosy one, with the soft light of dawn painting the hills golden, with birds singing their songs to the beauty of creation. This morning is one of rain, of thunder, of wet shoes, of puddles in the street, umbrellas broken by the wind.
Adversity is part of our lives. Some of it is inevitable and we learn to accept it as natural: losing our parents to death, separating from our lovers, losing the close connection to our grown-up children.
Other hardships seem random, arbitrary, or worse: caused by human malice. Most of us will be the victims of theft or violence at some point throughout our lives. Most of us will experience the treachery of friends, the lies of our lovers, the jealousy of our colleagues, the unfairness of our bosses. Most of us will suffer, in one form or another, at the hands of other people.
This has always been the case. Even the ancient philosophers knew it. It is Aristotle who writes:
A good general makes the most effective use of the forces at his disposal, and a good shoemaker makes the finest shoe possible out of the leather supplied him.
What does this mean?
A general in the field does not always get fresh, strong, motivated troops. Often his soldiers will be worn down by months of fighting, there will be fewer of them than the general needs, they will be sick perhaps, tired, badly trained, and their ammunition may be running out.
The same can happen to a shoe-maker: The leather he gets from his supplier might be of lower quality, it might be discoloured or irregular in thickness, it might be old and brittle, or damaged in storage.
So what does this tell us?
It is not difficult to be a good general when one has the strongest, most motivated, best equipped army. It is not hard to make good shoes when one has perfect leather, well-trained assistants, a workshop with all the tools one needs in perfect order. Everyone can win a war or make a good shoe under such ideal conditions.
But it is through adversity that we can recognise the best general, the master shoemaker. Only a good general can win a battle with a tired, hungry army. Only the best shoemaker can make a good shoe out of cheap and brittle leather.
It is in the conditions of adversity that our qualities can shine.
When you encounter adversity today, remember that there is no value in having an easy life all the time. If nobody tests your patience, then what good is it to be patient? If you have no-one to be kind to, then how would you even know that you are kind?
In order to become our best selves, we need those moments of adversity. It is only in danger that one can show one’s courage. It is only in times of suffering that one can display resilience and strength.
So let us get out into our lives today, ready to embrace everything bad that will happen to us as a gift — an opportunity to show off our good qualities, our virtues, our strengths, our goodness. We should be thankful to the thief, grateful to those who lie to us or try to harm us, because it is only through them, with their help that we can be generous, honest, and kind.
So let us thank all the darkness in the world, because it lets our own light shine even brighter.'
