Life is hard.

Raphael Amponsah
Jul 22, 2017 · 2 min read

When I hear somebody say 'Life is hard’, I am always tempted to ask 'Compared to what?'

Sydney J. Harris

I open this article with Sydney J. Harris quote which is interesting and yet profound. What can we actually compare life’s hardness to? I say, Life’s hardness is self-referential.

Day in day out we read different articles that inform us on how to live, we read listicles upon listicles on how to overcome insurmountable challenges. We hear of great quotes and download countless motivation pieces to read and to listen to. But things are the same and we stick to complain and some us even throw in the towel.

Life is hard. It has always been.

As I grow and mature in my daily life am thankful for the above truth. That our complains though part of the trail of life are just that, part, nothing more. Our struggles are keys to open opportunities in our life. We are to understand that we are here for a purpose and our struggles hold such keys. Breaking them is part of life’s journey.

As a child you were catered for (if you were fortunate) and you felt comfortable and believed that was what life was all about. Comfort. However, you faced challenges that suited that age irrespective of how insignificant they could have been. When you grew up, you met new challenges and you prayed, getting no answers, you read books and there is still the struggle that seemed permanent: then the adage follows:

Life is hard

But what we don’t realize is that so has life always been, it is our mindset that has now been opened to this reality. We have become aware of the nature of life. The complexity of life. Coming to the realization of this fact of life, is knowledge in itself. However it is our human desire of comfort (which the human being was made for) grows stronger and rebels at life’s “hardness”. It is at this point that some give up by committing suicide or consult voodoo and what’s not.

But one beautiful thing about life is its uniformity in its continuum.

No where cool

It is important to understand that until we grasp this understanding we will struggle with life rather than focusing on the purpose for which we are here for.

Another truth

But there is another truth that is: going through the struggles of life there is always and always that joy that sits at its end.

So if life is hard, be hard too. For it gets better.

Hard Fact to remember

You were built for life.

)

Raphael Amponsah

Written by

A Catholic. A night sleeper. A web developer. Always laughing and smiling.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade