Everyone reading this blog is very lucky. I can say so without any doubt because you have access to a computer, are sitting in a comfortable chair and enjoy conveniences such as air conditioning and refrigeration.
It is very likely that you have a decent job that pays your bills and allows you to put aside some money for entertainment, your family and hopefully your education and retirement as well.
When we’re hungry we just pop over to the local supermarket and grab whatever our hearts desire.
If we want to be pampered we head over to a spa or a 5-star restaurant.
We live at a time when we have easy access to products from all over the world within a very short period of time thanks to the Internet.
Personally I have ordered incense from India, cream from Tibet, snacks from England, shoes from the US, chocolate from Hokkaido and Berry Umeshu from the next prefecture (the equivalent of a state here in Japan) all within the last two years.
And yet, in the modern world we have more cases of mental illness than ever before.
Why is that?
The answer is simple – we have become weak.
We have forgotten what hardship really means.
People who live in war stricken areas aren’t worried about their colleagues talking behind their back, or how their boss is a fool or whether they’ll be able to get a promotion.
No, they’re worried about survival. They’re hoping they’ll have a house to come back to tomorrow. They’re worried about finding food for their family.
Take any of those people and put them in our shoes and they will appreciate absolutely everything.
It’s easy to blow things out of proportion when we’re left to our own devices but when our lives our threatened we begin to see just how blessed we really are.
One look at schools today and we can see just how far our society has fallen.
Kids have become more selfish, whiny, poorer academically and less able to handle failure than ever before.
Those kids will grow up to be adults and have kids themselves.
Life is always in a state of change. Either for the better, or the worse.
The negative of life is always there ready to pounce.
Disease and illness await those who don’t take care of their health.
Ignorance comes from choosing not to study.
Being overweight is a result of eating too much (lack of discipline) and not enough exercise (lack of hard work).
But hard work and discipline help us fight back.
They may be tough but the rewards are great.
As the world gets more convenient and comfortable we must push ourselves harder to condition both our body and our mind.
I’m glad I did.
Adrian Shepherd