If you live long enough, you are going to face situations that will test your mettle. Here are some things to keep in mind so that when adversity strikes, you will be prepared.
After a life of relatively smooth sailing, the last few years have brought me some adversity. I lost my grandmother who practically raised me. A business that I had started failed due to lack of sufficient funds. My dishwasher malfunctioned and flooded my kitchen and basement. Both of my parents were diagnosed with cancer. And I got fired from a job by a woman who suddenly started to loathe my work after she figured out that I have a cute wife who is significantly younger than I am.
Having come out the other end of the storm, I have some observations that may help if you should ever find yourself facing a tough situation.
Don’t panic
Our natural reaction when adversity strikes is to panic. The fight-or-flight reflex kicks in and our natural inclination is to either run away from the situation or lash out at the source of the adversity. Either option is usually a mistake.
Thus, the first step in dealing with adversity is not to panic. Panicking prevents you from seeing all the options. When you don’t see all the options, it is easy to make a bad choice. Fight-or-flight does have some relevance if you are being chased by a wild boar. For most other situations, the best thing to do is to be calm.
Reject negative thoughts and get the right mindset
When you go through adversity, the temptation is to start thinking disempowering thoughts. You must avoid these like the plague if you want to get through tough times.
Don’t get bitter. When things don’t go like you planned, it is easy to become bitter. This is especially true when things might be going swimmingly for all your friends.
The problem with bitterness is that it can poison a person’s entire life causing him to lose the good things he still has. A man who becomes bitter about his adversity runs the risk of alienating the people who truly love him—his wife and children. And I believe bitterness can even negatively effect a person’s health.
The best antidote to bitterness is to cultivate gratitude in your life. Every successful person I’ve ever talked to spends a portion of their day thinking about all the things that they are grateful for. If you are truly grateful, it is impossible to be bitter even in times of hardship.
Don’t feel cursed. In the midst of the trials I was going through my wife, in a moment of exasperation, asked me: “Do you think we are cursed?”
When things go wrong, it is easy to believe that there is some cosmic force that is opposing you. Whether that force is an indifferent universe or the gods, it is too vast to oppose. If you believe you are cursed, it makes you passive. That’s the exact opposite attitude you need to get through adversity.
Instead of feeling cursed, tackle each problem separately. If you are diagnosed with heart disease, work on improving your health. If you are harassed at work by a short, fat, mentally unstable harpy of a boss with swollen ankles, float your resume. But don’t turn your problems into battles against cosmic forces.
In summary, when you run into difficulty, the most important thing to overcome it is to adopt the right mindset. Be grateful for anything that is still good in your life and resolve to be active in fighting the problems.
Look at all your options
If you have the right mindset, you will be able to do the next step which is to consider all of your options. Even with the most terrible of problems, there may be some way to cope with the problem that may be tolerable. For example, I know a man with a gambling problem. He borrowed a large some of money from a mobster that he unwisely failed to repay. I am not certain of the details, but this man’s life is now in constant jeopardy.
This would be enough to drive many men to suicide, but this man has opted to survive. He chose to go on the lam. He now moves his family every year or two. One year, he is in Florida. The next he is in California. Even though he is a highly qualified electrical engineer, he does not work, presumably to stay under the radar. His family relies on his wife’s income. Despite everything, they seem to have a reasonably comfortable life.
In his book, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Scott Adams relates how he lost his voice due to a rare neurological disorder. It was only after years of trying various things that he found a doctor who performed a cutting edge procedure that was able to solve the problem. But to do this, he had to stay open to investigating every option.
Don’t alienate your allies
John Donne wrote that “no man is an island.” Unfortunately, I’m the kind of person who tends to retreat into a metaphorical cave to solve my own problems. That’s a mistake. I might be resourceful, but I don’t have all the answers. While I was going through difficult periods, it was usually friends or family members who had information that helped me solve the problems.
When adversity hits, be kind to those who are closest to you, especially your family. Keep your friends in good repair. Avoid the temptation to be a rugged individualist.
Treat it like a game
A couple of years ago, Roosh published an article called Are We Living in a Computer Simulation? At the time, I dismissed the article because I’m a Catholic. I believe the universe is real.
Still, the concept of this life ultimately being a game or a computer simulation is a good paradigm. Every religious tradition treats this life as a temporary situation. In Christianity, the universe is a proving ground where we can decide whether we want to accept God’s offer to become his sons—divinization—or reject it and become denizens of hell. In Hinduism, this life is regarded as a delusion that we must wake up from. Even Stoicism envisions this life as a fleeting phenomenon that will lead to union with God, however vaguely the Stoics understood that union.
What every tradition seems to agree on is that how your life goes is less important than how you react in response to what happens. You might be less wealthy and famous than Mark Zuckerberg, but you are not in competition with him. Your job is to do your best in your situation.
This means cultivating detachment from this life. If your video game character is killed, you probably don’t get too upset. Similarly, reflecting on the temporary nature of the current world should lead you to not take it too seriously.
Welcome adversity
Another point on which all spiritual traditions agree is that adversity is a goad that forces us to change our character. Just like lifting weights forces our muscles to grow, adversity is the resistance that spurs our souls to grow. Without adversity, we would have flabby character.
In my own case, I can see how some of the things that I went through forced me to deal with some things in my life that I was ignoring. It proved to be a boot camp for my character.
For example, getting fired forced me to re-evaluate the whole idea of working for someone else. It led me to start another business that has doubled my earnings over what I was making while I was an employee. It also led me to start writing—something that I always wanted to do but never found time for.
Conclusion
Adversity is never pleasant when you are going through it but it brings rewards that you could never receive from a soft, indolent life.
I don’t want to leave you with the idea that it is possible to “conquer” every adversity. Sometimes, even the greatest general is routed. Even the healthiest man will one day die. But it is possible to meet every adversity and not be inwardly defeated. The best summary of this attitude is captured in the the poem Invictus, which was written by William Ernest Henley.
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Thank you.
This site never ceases to amaze me. I’ve had a recent event arise to test my mettle and this morning in particular needed some inspiration like this. There’s always something here to bring me back.
Before I found ROK, I used to martyr myself for others, loathe my own being and generally believed myself forsaken.
But no more.
This is a lesson most pertinent to our ongoing struggle against the masses arrayed against us. Just to live as free men has become a wearying campaign, without any personal detriment of misfortune stacked atop it.
In your words I have found resolve and today the march will continue unimpeded.
Let not one man here doubt the validity and righteousness of his destiny.
Libera Nos A Malo
Here Here!. I also needed this.
There There! (You also needed this).
Well played
In middle school, the girl I was dating was quite cold and angry. I martyred myself to shield my friends from her constant abuse, and in the end she tried to perjure me into prison (and my friends abandoned me). It made me bitter, and I was constantly either in a state of simmering rage or emotionally drained.
I carried that burden into college, where one summer I decided I had had enough of my self-pity and bitterness. That determination led me here, and my resolve to become a happier and more controlled person has made my life immeasurably better.
I could not have received this article when I was younger, but now I look on it as a reflection of my life. Well written and timeless.
I think we all arrived here through a similar legacy.
Its nuts to me the way we’re painted. I suffered much in my life for refusing to succumb and take the path of least resistance, in an undying determination to be nothing more or less than a good man. The folly of which I did not grasp until after most of the damage had been done.
Something I learned in boot camp, was that no matter how much discomfort, duress, or outright degradation that is heaped upon you, you won’t die unless you want to.
I once felt like as if I were alone on an island, but now I’ve found that my compatriots, though hidden, are numerous. The esprit de corps I feel every time I scroll through these comment sections is a powerful thing.
Something like pride. That’s what comes over me when I think back about all of the times I doubted what was rooted so deep within my chest – and all of the times they tried to relinquish me of my honor.
Here’s to you all.
“They’ll keep fighting… And they’ll win!”
“The esprit de corps…” — indeed, even as the solo effort must prevail (and every man is ultimately an island unto himself), if we pay respect and guidance to keeping a firmament beneath the collective energy (to excel and persevere as men must do), we go further still. Some of my worst days have been turned around by the strong words of a friend who’s having a better day than I am, and who adds logical clarity over whatever problem I might be obsessing over. Wise council is an essential tool I never take for granted, even if I don’t like what I’m hearing. Ever forward…
Excelsior Ad Victoriam
I saw a good quote from navy seals that when you are ready to give up you are usually at about 40 percent of the way to failure.
After a tough decade where I have had to fight for everything, where very little was given to me in terms of my own success, where life always seemed to be more difficult than it should be, I have a new ambition, to make life easier than it should be… Increasing my income streams will help achieve this. Career, part time work (potentially reservist commitments) and passive income are my goals.
I think early suffering is often great for later life success. Look at george foreman bitter loss to mohammed ali in the rumble in the jungle. It changed him in profound and wonderful ways.
Yes,really good stuff.
You can search something from Epictetus (Epitteto) and stoicism,it’s also useful.
A brief search brought me across these pertinent gems:
“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
“It is not death or pain that is to be dreaded, but the fear of pain or death.”
“To accuse others for one’s own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one’s education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one’s education is complete.”
“Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else. ”
I’ve been meaning to look into Stoicism for a while now. And I think the time has come.
Ave imperator, morituri te salutant!
You are not alone brother. The legion will arise once more and put this mockery of leadership in its rightful place: the gutter.
Hahaha!
I fashion myself more of a Spartacus in spirit than a Caesar, but all the same, I’m determined to rise with you brother.
Don’t fall into the trap of SELF PITY. Nothing will happen. No one will come and sort everything out. No person will magically solve all your problems.
Not feeling cursed is also key.
Wow this article was perfect timing for me. I feel like I’m in a dark place now in life so I definitely needed to read this. Thank you
Peace be upon you.
VERY GOOD article and very relevant to my situation.
I’m impressed.
You did not suffer in vain. Your experience will definitely help others.
I think it was Roosh who once pointed out something like “No man can be harmed when he has options”.
That idea sticks. I practice it every day: keep options open and if you don’t feel like you have enough, take actions to open up more options. You don’t get stuck at a fork in the road when you pay attention to the map.
I would say that idea is more fleshed out in Mike Cernovich’s writings on the concept of “Anti-fragility”. I don’t think he coined it, but he addresses it the most. A good example of anti-fragility is when any leftist force from an HR Cunt to an entire SJW rage mob can’t do a thing to your livelihood. It can go another direction as well: a man living in his truck won’t be so affected by an economic collapse.
Cernovich’s work is very clear on the topic, but the original comes from Nassim Taleb. His books (particularly The Black Swan and Antifragile) are well worth the read.
Outcome independence!
Pfft. Handling adversity? That’s the hard way. Haven’t you guys been paying attention the last decade or so? What we should really do is whine loudly about it, blame someone else* for our problems, and demand the government fix it. Because, after all, you’re a special snowflake!
*That’s the hardest part of this plan. Making sure you always know where the nearest white Christian male is.
That feeling when you realize the nearest white Christian male is exactly 0 meters from your current location at all times.
Self-identify as something else.
Especially nice poem. The main area that I’ve grown in the last few years is not allowing anxiety to take hold when problems arise. It used to be unbearable, this would lead to letting the problem longer and making it worse. Thank god I don’t suffer through that misery anymorr
Yknow, I used to suffer depression and crippling anxiety. I absolutely refused medication and dealt with it by clenching my teeth and carrying on for years.
Somehow or another, I grew above it and it doesn’t exist anymore.
Depression could be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease. Watch out.
It began in my early teens amid a very hostile family situation. I was the Harry Potter of my family lol.
But by my mid 20s it was gone.
those medication’s just give you the placebo affect. I think it’s just releasing any rage and just moving on with life. Accepting things as they are.
Once you experienced a bad acid trip and emerged whole, you would be able to deal with any anxiety. Just think to yourself this feeling is only temporary, like a bad storm, and will eventually pass.
Don’t focus on the one guy who hates you. You don’t go to the park and sit your picnic next to the only pile of dog shit…..
Shit My Dad Says on dealing with assholes.
Haha, I’ll remember that one.
Your father sounds like a wise man.
Actually, this is from a book that’s literally called Shit My Dad Says. To be fair, I wouldn’t have minded having him as my dad. The man us truly red pill. In fact, I’m going to rebuy the book and keep it with me. The quotes are not just funny, but full of wisdom. A must read.
Haha, gotcha. I’ll check it out.
These are no doubt useful mental gymnastics but the most important part is the health of your whole body and especially your adrenal gland.
Many people suffer from an adrenal burnout without even realizing it and are not able to think clearly in difficult situations.
Look up adaptogen herbs.
Thank you for this article! Two months ago I caugh something weird in my throat and began to lost my voice. At first I tried to stay calm, non-negative, and making fun of it, but after awhile the physical and mental weakness took a toll on me. Constantly tired and without voice has made me unable to perform, my life has taken a downward spiral.
And even though I know better, lacking the mental clarity and energy made me sulk. This article has given me light once again.
Wait, did you lose your voice permanently? What did you catch?
And what is your performance?
I hope not! No, not really. So far the explanation is that I have a very strong laryngitis that doesn’t go away. Talking and even humming is very painful and can only mutter some syllabes before by throat gets shut. Next week I’m consulting another specialist and get the fourth opinion on the matter.
What got me down was that this were crucial times and was heading for a breakthrough, with two months out and counting, everything came to a halt. Basically due to this, everything I did since January is lost. It’s not as dramatic as I make it sound, but I needed this ASAP and now to start over I have to wait with lots of luck 2 months, if not 6. That’s a hard pill to swallow.
Damn that sucks dude. Hope things turn around for you soon.
Rejecting negative thoughts and not falling into despair is incredibly difficult. To me it’s like trying to be opposite-handed.
The subconscious mind (where emotions live) and the body are in constant communication. In order to maximize personal happiness and mental strength, you have to get both aligned properly.
For the body, our usual advice of “LIFT!!!” is a great starting point. Physical strength and endurance bleeds into the subconscious, and the applied willpower required to succeed in lifting strengthens the will over time. However, as illness and general malaise drag your emotions down, you want general physical health, as well. My advice would be to avoid wheat, fructose, and PUFA (vegetable) oils; instead, ingest plenty of eggs (for the vitamins and complete suite of proteins) and saturated fats (coconut oil, palm kernal oil, and animal fats).
For the subconscious itself, the advice provided is a great start. All I can add is “practice happiness and contentment” – consciously force yourself to smile and relax, and it will become a habit.
As with all other things in life, it takes patience and practice to master your frame.
Very thoughtful and insightful article! Great contribution. At the risk of going too far under the Red Hood, I’ll share some happenings and events that were fairly recent on an emotional standing.
A few years back I lost the woman who felt the closest thing to a mother to me, my grandmother, who was later buried on my birthday. As she had a long and crazy life, while sad this was a release more than anything. Getting dumped soon after was also a release as I genuinely hated myself but since I lacked options I being with in a sub par relationship was par the course. It only compounded the pressure in my life when I was forced to use resources I didn’t have, to enter odd jobs, with no support and sometimes no money for weeks on end. You do what you must to survive but if I had succumbed to depression at the time, I wouldn’t not be here to type this or I’d have been just your average beta, supplication included, to live an easy life by some woman’s side who I would not like. Nuts to that.
The following year, word came in my mother was sent to a nursing home. Her support system abandoned her for all intents and purposes. I was in no position to assist and this weighed heavily on me. She later passed the same year, alone and without any immediate family by her side. Including myself. It was hard and in some ways still hard to resolve myself from blame and shame. What I noticed while dealing with these feelings is it was much easier to do some of the dumbest mistakes in my life because my mortality weighed heavily on my mind and heart. Just as easy to remain isolated. Definitely somber reading the words written in this article but figured it was relevant to share my situation first to say this; always keep moving.
When I lost everything by keep moving and adding options I was able to thrive and generate options that I have never thought of prior. When I was bogged down in blame, learning how to improve my fighting, making love to women, and fortifying new goals while trying to stave off isolation has helped tremendously. I am still not free of rage by any means, but knowing movement works, I will just batten down the hatches and keep pushing forward because there is no other choice.
Articles like this are the friendly reminder why optimism is always the first option when confronted with adversity.
“Every adversity, every failure, every heartbreak, carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
-Napoleon Hill, “Think and Grow Rich”
Thank you for sharing. I wish you the best.
… Sad you went through all that but the Lord helped pull you through it.
Trust on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and you will know TRUTH. Amen.
About the time I got out of the blue-pill indoctrination was around the same time things stopped freaking me out.
Lose my job? I’ll find another. If it gets real bad, I’ll go on welfare.
Wife divorces me? I’ll find another…or 2….or 3.
Manipulative cunt trying to take me down in my social circles? Fuck them. Worse comes to worse, I’ll find new social circles.
It also helps I’m an INTP personality type; very rational and a nearly psychotic level of emotional detachment. Something crazy happens, instead of freaking out, I start analyzing every aspect of the situation and being weighing all my options.
Same here man. I’m an ENTP and definitely get that detachment. It really doesn’t feel as detached as when people try to have small talk that has no immediate solution or benefit. Let the crybabies enjoy rest. Keep the solutions flowing to make your life what you wish it to be.
I get quickly frustrated with people who just want to vent problems but don’t want a solution. I’ve finally told my wife that if she doesn’t want a solution to a problem, don’t come bitching to me about it.
“But I just want you to listen!”
“But I’m not going to listen without offering a solution, so no.”
“That’s not very respectful.”
“Neither is wasting my time and dumping your baggage on me.”
I am definitely of the same mindset. What lately has grinded my gears is the undertone within a phrased argument that clearly isn’t about the problem but about the person trying to demean the other party so that they can feel better or apply oneupmanship. My thinking is, whether you are right or I am does this actually help either of us have a better relationship with the other or is this just to appease you to make you feel superior to me. The moral high ground as it were.
The main thing with your lady is she’ll continuously find ways to wrestle with you emotionally simply to verify in herself how right she was in her original decision to choose you as her last sexual and emotional partner.
Oh she tries but it eventually gets to the point where I flat out tell her “Blah blah blah, I don’t care.” The first time I used that on her, I can’t even describe how quickly she shut up.
I found a lot of my “friends” doing this. Men. Shortly after I ditched the blue pill, I ditched them too. I don’t miss it at all.
Yeah, I lost a lot of old time friends after I switched pills. Turns out I value my dignity and time more than them. Who knew?
INTP here too.
“You’re not listening to meeee!”
“Say something interesting…”.
Wife divorces me? I’ll have a harem of younger, hotter women. Fuck getting married again.
The fat boss with the diabetic ankles firing you sounds like it was a big straw. Sometimes you subconsciously flash your attractive house, car or wife in front of someone like that who’s struggling with pigfat and you inadvertantly trigger them. You might as well feel up your wife right in front of yeur fat boss. Feel the solidness of your wife’s buns, smack the bun and then look at your boss’s sagging ass and shake your head with droopy eyes. How much more signaler’d and trigger’d would you like your boss to be?
The solution I think would have been is to include your fat boss in a positive endeavor. Invite her to go rafting or hiking. Promise her it’s easy, like a piece of cream cheese strawberry short cake. Get her out in the sun and in the wild and watch her re evaluate herself as she gasps and prays for her body to make it through the day alive. Throw her over GODS RACK. If she croaks, you have to go indy employment anyway but at least you tried with her. If she makes it, then by all means help her mount a wide seat on her new trek road bike so she can pursue some newfound passions.
Also remaining calm. I hate it when a nag responds to calmness with more nagging. Keep your tool bag handy. Sometimes a nag just needs humped in the ass.
I know this isn’t a race thread but I had to post this.
This is the difference between the western cuck mentality, and Chinese mentality.
Chinese are not afraid to show pride in themselves, while westerners can’t wait for foreigners to come rape their women.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0D-ot2tso8
The folks at Gawker are making a fuss about this one. And by the way, I tried to comment, but the fucking moderators. Wonder how they feel about black on white gangbangs.
http://gizmodo.com/yo-fuck-this-commercial-1778914903
Smh… WOW so emasculating and humiliating. I understand the brothah “doing it for money” but man… even I have personal “dignity” (AKA “pride” :P) not to go to that extent.
Smh… Lettin’ some WOMAN “manhandle” a man like that is so UNNATURAL and WICKED it’s utterly DISGUSTING in my opinion. Yeah, be sure, no woman would do me like that I’m(a)o. Amen. lol
Often actors, whether in movies or commercials, have no idea what the final product will look like.
Relevant
They had one in italy but it was an italian woman putting an italian man in the washer and he came out black, the tagline read color is better. For some strange reason the libs didn’t cry about that one. Why any man would let himself/culture/race be emasculated like that is beyond me.
insanity
Weird. I thought the Guineas were generally anti-color. Maybe that’s just the ones that came across…
Same scenario, same music, and same sound effects. The Chinese obviously did it to point out what a cuck the Europeans are.
Neat.
Is the message:
1. Black men are only dark because they are filthy and need to be laundered. Or,
2. This detergent is so powerful it can do the impossible.
I suppose you can find racism if you take it completely out of context.
And then there is the whole aspect of sexual preference of, in this case, the Chinese gal.
I’ve always considered making claims of racism when it comes to sexual preference is treading on some pretty dodgy ground. Consider someone saying “you’re a racist if you don’t find all races equally sexually appealing”, but who otherwise believes sexual preference is sacrosanct when it comes to gender. Seems to be one hell of a contradiction.
That is a damn good point man! And one I think we need to use more often.
Meh, I find Asians and Latinas attractinvw, for their looks and demeanor. Doesn’t mean I would write off others. Dated an Irish chick. Would date a black chick if she was hot inside and out. Calling preference racism is bullshit. But I do find people who are “I don’t date [insert group]” quite lame. But their choice. It’s like women who cop an attitude when a guy says hello. Maybe he’s a million are dressed casually and wants to give away money to strangers. Stfu and be open-minded. But yeh man. This calling people racist over everything really is out of hand.
The message is, broads like big cocks.
I’d suppose you neither understood the advertisement nor my comment. Although your reply, taken in isolation, is consistent with my experience, and I cannot argue that point. Cheers!
LMFAO!
Just think if Chinese men could grab a bunch of black girls and put them through the wash cycle the Chinese woman shortage would be solved.
Decide who you are, who you want to be. Be that person.
I.W.N.F.D.
I will not allow external circumstances or people to change or deter me from being that person, to allow that person to die.
Follow your heart….
Follow your brain first and your balls second. Screw that sentimental shiat 😉
It is inevitable that each of us will face life-or-death situations in our own lifetimes. And if we cannot call on our best at will, we will perish in those situations. And that is why having one’s back against the wall (i.e., experiencing adversity), should be celebrated, instead of lamented – because it tempers us. And in the process, it forges warriors.
get knocked down 8 times, stand up 9 times.
— Jigoro Kano
Beauty of a post. Well done, Mr. Sebastian. Ever forward and never give up. How could it be any other way? Summarized well by the chestnut: “When going through hell, keep going!” Even when you hit those low moments, and all feels lost, there exists a guiding faculty in the head and heart that answers to no one, and speaks only to itself. It is our divine right to cultivate that power and send it forth into the world.
“Reject negative thoughts and get the right mindset”
This is probably the most difficult thing to do in todays world. I think most of our suffering is caused by other people, because the majority of people are more toxic than atoxic, so you can’t escape their negative influence. You must develop a thick skin to stay unaffected by their bullshit.
I always hold on to the saying: “People inspire you, or they drain you—pick them wisely.” Simply stay away from toxic people, especially if your positive energy levels are already low. Life is too short to waste your time on people like that.
Indeed, too many good guys waste their time and energy with negative elements. I’m not saying do like me and cut off your own mom, but many people have a bunch of leeches in their life that drag them down. I prefer no friends over bad friends.
Within the Hall was warmth and cheer
Without grew cold and silent
And men did share their tales and deeds
As smoke was lost to darkness
Come my fellows, though all must die,
For now we’ll drink in gladness
Tonight the sky belongs to us
To think beyond lies madness
Shout to the stars that you are free
And laugh hearty with the moon
Men are we all and all know well
We command rebirth from ruin
And in the morning comes ashes
And we’ll loathe the rising sun
But surely stand to greet the day
There’s far too much to get done
Alone we all face demons
Foul harpies and harsher tides
Yet still we feel our brothers’
Hopes burning at our side
Though far and wide we travel
And each upon his road
We’ll gather anew at the mead hall
With new stories to be told.
“The Mead Hall” – Me
To face adversity is to be human. To attempt to avoid ever facing any kind of adversity is to be a SJW pussy.
Whoa.
I’ve been a longtime lurker on RooshVforum, here, heartiste and other sites, probably since 2009 or even earlier. This is the first post that provoked me to write a comment.
I am in my mid twenties. I was always the wonderkid – smartest, brightest, not bad looking. Just not good with the ladies. I dug myself our of the oneitis hole and started scoring pretty chicks shortly before 20th birthday. I’ve had many successes, but reconnecting with my primal instincts is the biggest one to me. Threesomes, foursomes, taken chicks, daughter and then her mom, teacher, a lot of taboo. A lot. If it was in a movie, I’ve probably done it. It was a big thing for an insecure guy, it is still a big thing for the content person I am now. Hey, I guess getting laid never gets boring.
Then a disaster came. At 23, I was diagnosed with tumor in my head. 3 hour-long operation saved my life, but I came out crippled. I don’t want to specify the handicap, but it’s a pretty serious one, although you can’t see it from the go.
I have a disease that doesn’t kill you, but slowly eats away more and more. I might keep the current state, but there is a huge chance it will leave me unable to communicate in the future.
Blackout. Total depression. You think of all the shit you’re never gonna do.
One day you’re at a party, young, smart, wanted.
The next day, you’re a cripple. Future?
NONE
You notice all the things you are never gonna do again. You notice them every day, every time. Every single fucking regular thing the normal people do fifty times a day. You will never have the privilege again. I guess some of you with sorts of handicaps can relate.
Your mind starts this vicious cycle of depression. I am a very cold blooded person but I have cried quite many times during the first year. I started abandoning everything and everyone. But then I realized…
…you are not complete, but not done yet. You’ve been dealt some really shitty hand, but let’s fucking play it. Because for me, the most haunting thing is the simple realization that I gave up, that I haven’t tried.
So I tried. I put my shit together. I am more or less a functioning person now. I didn’t want to live from the memories, so I started going out again and gaming chicks, although it is painfully difficult in my current condition. I never let them know about it. If they notice, I turn it into a joke. I turned myself into a living experiment – I compare my performance before the illness with the current state.
Guess what
I am pulling even more chicks now. Heck, I could be bedridden the next day. So, zero fucks given. All the time. You never fully realize how close your demise is, until you are staring right into death’s eyes. For some, it’s too late. For me, it was and still is a very valuable lesson. You think you are 20, 25, 30, what could possible go wrong?
A LOT OF SHIT.
My body keeps on crumbling, I lost 30 pounds of muscle during the last two years. I am back to my scrawny teenage body. My soul, on the other hand, is much stronger. I cherish every single breath. I am full of hope. Full of hope that my condition won’t decline. That maybe one day I will turn it around. That I maybe lost the facade, but the core is still the same. I still got it. And that makes me happy. There are so many flavors of lemonade.
Call me shallow, but womanizing saved my life when I was at my lowest. For me, it is the ultimate cure.
Whatever cruel and unjust happens to you, never give up. Winston Churchill’s famous quote comes to mind.
I can tell you, he was damn accurate.
Yeah. Head tumors are pretty bad.
My condition is extremely rare, occurs in about one per million and has a very specific cause. If I specify it I will be easily identified. So let’s go with “head tumor”.
Yes. We wouldn’t want you to be identified, now.
Autistic or SJW?
nice article. Accepting the truth in any situation will help you overcome adversity. My slogan is ‘build a bridge and get over it’.
“When you’re going through hell keep moving”.
Winston Churchill
Charrrrrrrrrrgggggggge!
this was the fatal flaw of most millennials. their childhood in the 80s-90s was so easy, safe, white, comfortable. They assumed the rest of their lives would be that way.
Failures are actually teaching lessons in disguised. Someone had to take the first step and fail so others can see and do better. Perfection would be a waste of life. Why would we want a perfect life 24/7? Like the Biggie lyrics go:
“When I die, fuck it I wanna go to hell
Cause I’m a piece of shit, it ain’t hard to fuckin’ tell
It don’t make sense, goin’ to heaven wit the goodie-goodies
Dressed in white, I like black Tims and black hoodies
God will probably have me on some real strict shit
No sleepin’ all day, no gettin my dick licked
Hangin’ with the goodie-goodies loungin’ in paradise
Fuck that shit, I wanna tote guns and shoot dice”
-(Suicidal Thoughts)
Posts and sites like these have helped me see that yes, women will do some fucked up shit to you but, so what. It is what it is. If the Cavemen back then would of just said “Fuck it. I am not chasing after my food which can also eat me” we as a species would of been wiped out.
Your life is yours but, your life, our life, is for the NEXT life to keep going. We had the Baton passed to us. Our job is to keep the race going no matter what so the next group of men and women and run further.
We are in this together. Pain is apart of the process. Hitler and Jesus (Real or not) lived on the same planet. It is what it is.
https://associationofchronos.com/2016/05/28/leatherface-snake-97/
Jesus Christ is REAL died for you and every single human-being on the Cross even Hitler.
Although many people “nay say” and “talk down” on the Mighty HOLY Name of JESUS by “cursing in His Name”, saying vulgar wicked comments still with HIS NAME only PROVES He is the REAL GOD.
You don’t hear people cussing, swearing in “Mohammad, Buddha, Krishna, Confucious” or any other “religious leader name” but when people are out of breath they often “blasphemously say” ‘Jesus’ as a carnal expression without acknowledging the TRUE REALITY of Jesus as SAVIOUR and LORD of all humanity. That’s TRUTH.
GOD is our CREATOR. We are HIS CREATION. Jesus Christ expects PERFECTION even though He knows we are imperfect and flawed which is why He died in our Place so we can be perfected in Him in His Spirit of our spirit. Amen.
Biggie should’ve (I hope he did before he died) turned to GOD and not served the Devil, SATAN in his rap career.
Please don’t make the same wrong decisions people in the world like Biggie have made by turning away from God.
Please get saved: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/how_to_be_saved.html
Read God’s Word (King James Version Holy Bible [KJV]): http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/1611_authorized_king_james.htm
Take care in life. Amen.
~ Sincerely,
Bro. Jed
Cancer is curable. Just look into alt treatments for it. Cancer is a western,modern problem. On the other hand it is a spectacularly profitable disease for doctors so you might feel guilty not paying for a doctors kids grad school. There is a special high body temp.treatment in europe that has great results even completely eliminating cancer that has been around and been studied a long time. Never made it to the US. The genius idea here is to treat cancer with a carcinogen(guaranteed repeat customers!). Laetrile was discovered by one of the most respected cancer researcher in one of the most respected institutions. It got buried and the pr guy there did an expose on its burial. Ronald Reagan was likely treated with it by Han Napier from germany(google it) and he died 17 years later and not of cancer. Now if you want to get laetrile sorry you have to got to mexico. Bitter almonds which are a normal thing to add to food and eaten in europe(marzipan is made tastier with some bitter almonds) is banned in the US. Are you faking kidding me? Bitter almonds that grow wild are illegal to plant or sell. Oh and they are very effective against cancer.
Going through a transitional period, I needed this. Thanks
One thing that jumped out at me in this article is health. It effects your health in more ways than one, physical and mental. When hit with adversity, eat healthy and exercise, you’ll be one step ahead of the game. Eat fish (omega-3), drink plenty of water, raw veggies, fruits and make smoothies with flax seed (estrogen blocker). I stress this because it’s so damn easy compared to whatever life problem you’re facing.
Congratulations Mr. Sebastian. You have won the internet.
Single best article I have ever read on the web.