Heartfelt Reflections on Finding Inner Strength in Difficult Times

Where do we find our strength?

Granted, that some people live ”easier” lives than others, but we all have to find our strength to get up and ”get after it” in life.

From where do to we draw that hope we need to keep going, no matter how bleak things might seem?

I didn’t grow up in a religious or spiritual family, so there were very few lessons that included teachings about ”God” or some other kind of higher power outside ourselves.

My Auntie was religious enough that she went to church on Christmas and Easter, but aside from that, I can’t say that I was ever taught much in a Christian tradition.

That said, it was instilled in me that it was ”right action” to practice kindness and to be of service to others.

I have heard people claim that they would ”not be good people,” were it not for their fear of God, but I have never felt like I needed ”fear” to keep me from sinking into a state of reckless barbarism.

Treat others as you wish them to treat you…

That ”Golden Rule” has always struck me as being almost core to Human nature, and yet these are lots of people who insist that it is not. I have often struggled with that assertion… are we humans just that close to being little more than wild animals, hardscrabbling for survival?

I find it hard to believe. Not impossible, just hard.

And frightening, on some level.

These are questions I have pondered a lot, as of late… as I passed another birthday, and grow increasingly aware that I am — most likely — now in my final third of life.

Life is hard, and there are many days when I struggle to come to terms with the distinct possibility that I will not be like previous generations of my family… who ”retired” sometime in their sixties and simply enjoyed gentle pastimes like painting, gardening, fishing and stamp collecting in their golden years.

Most likely, I will be working until they day I leave this earthly plane.

I’m by no means bitter, mind you; not angry at life. More than anything, I am resigned to the fact that this is simply how things are and we can either work with that, or struggle against it… the latter, likely to no avail.

I have much gratitude for the fact that the work I do do is not deeply rooted in physical exertion… I can be a book editor, and a writer, and an online seller for as long as my mind remains keen enough that I still understand what the task of the day is about.

I have much gratitude for the fact that I have a roof over my head and food to eat — and working Internet(!) — and am not suffering through life in a war zone, or a community so torn by political unrest that I have to sleep with one eye open, every night.

The scaremongers here in the USA keep bringing up the possibility that this coming Presidential election might even lead to a second Civil War here… but as I look around and try my best to ready between the lines of conflicting opinions, I find myself pondering how much of that is little more than a constant battle for viewers through ”Clickbait” headlines that don’t actually reflect any kind of tangible truth of the moment.

Fear sells.

I’m more inclined to believe in those who point out that keeping everyone in a state of fear is what drives the consumerism/capitalism machine forward. If we get too comfortable, we are less likely to engage in reactive and impulsive spending.

So much is little more than a manipulation.

I find inner strength in the belief that there IS good out there, regardless of teh disaster mongering.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!

How about you? What gives you YOUR inner strength? Do you draw it from yourself, or from external influences? Do you feel like you are inherently a good person, even without the scrutiny of God, or others? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.09.10 01:23PDT
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