Adversity

Without adversities, you will never know what you are truly capable of. It tests your limits, how well you handle situations, and how you utilize your skills to overcome difficulties. Roman poet, Horace, has stated “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant”. Without going out of your comfort zone you will never be able to explore and find your talents. When we feel passionate about achieving a goal, no matter how big or small, we may learn something new about ourselves. There is no better way to test yourself than a difficult challenge. Once you’ve overcome that adversity, the feeling of accomplishment will feel immense. 

No one has ever lived a life without any adversities before. It is bound to happen to every single one of us. The only difference is how one takes and understands the adversary. Most may think of the problem as the end of the world, an obstacle that they cannot overcome. However, others use this as an opportunity to improve and bring out a new strength within themselves. For instance, when Lou Gehrig, a New York Yankees baseball player, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis he was no longer able to play. Even though ALS was a terminal disease, Lou Gehrig still came back to the field. He came to speak about what he was going through and to stay positive no matter what. Gehrig became a great example to many of those going through tough situations and hardships. Without his experience with ALS, he would have not been able to speak on the subject. Although it was unfortunate that he was diagnosed with a terminal disease, he was able to become someone thousands of people looked up to. 

Everyday, there are millions of childrens that are born into unfortunate circumstances. These adversities can include poverty, discrimination, illnesses, and more. Some of those children turn to creating music, a sport, the arts, and some even study harder to cope or overcome the challenges. Without these adversities, they may not have been able to find their talents. A comfortable life with everything given to you will never allow you to experience new things independently. A personal example of this would be my mom’s experiences. Growing up, she never had the most comfortable life. Even when she was younger she was working jobs while going to school to help family. During her toughest moments, she turned to the violin. My mom had always loved the sound of the violin; the graceful and elegant tune it created. And so, everyday after school and work, she would continue practicing the violin, playing for herself and others. She discovered her talent because she wanted an activity to alleviate the stress created by her day work. 

Likewise, Jim Carrey has gone through multiple adversities involving economic hardships. When he was just fifteen, he dropped out of highschool to support his family. For many months, he and his family lived in a van amid many financial struggles. When his father found work, he and his brothers joined him to help eight hour shifts as janitors and security guards. To cope with such hardships and support his family, he used comedy. He made a name for himself after he got his first big break opening for Rodney Dangerfield at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Then following that, he was in Ace Ventura and the rest was history. Through comedy, he not only found his talent, but also made more money to support his family through their hardships as well. 

People do not know what they are capable of unless challenged. Without adversities, most people do not need to discover their talents as it would be unnecessary in a world without hardship. Many are unaware of what they can do unless they are pushed to the limit. Would it have been possible for Gehrig, Jim Carrey, and my mom to find their special talent without the adversities that they went through? Possibly, but they would not have had the same passion driving them to continue spreading and working on their talents. Adversity is a vital part of one’s development and finding out their latent skills that they may have not believed they were capable of before being challenged.