On Facing Difficulty
Guest Spark, The School of Knowledge
Happy Friday, Sparkies!
Today, we have a special treat for you on a guest Spark. Our guest is Karl from The School of Knowledge. His Substack is filled with nuggets of wisdom, and I can't recommend it highly enough! The moment I stumbled upon his Substack, I knew we had to get him for a guest Spark. Lucky for us, he agreed—get ready because school is in session, and knowledge is the lesson!
On Facing Difficulty
by Karl from The School of Knowledge
"The thoughts of others
Were light and fleeting,
Of lovers' meeting
Or luck or fame.
Mine were of trouble,
And mine were steady,
And I was ready
When trouble came."
Charles T. Munger, Poor Charlie’s Almanack
For many of us thinking of troubled times fills us with dread and anxiety but some of the most influential thinkers of the last few thousand years all thought about troubled times, especially when their cards were flush.
From Seneca (exiled and sentenced to death by suicide from the man he nurtured) to Charlie Munger (who lost his son Teddy at 9 years old) there is much to be learnt when thinking, or rather preparing for difficult times.
It sounds depressing but I’m willing to make a bet with you. Think of somebody you care deeply about. This could be a partner, a friend, a parent or even a pet. Think about them slipping away from life, suddenly, in your arms (this somehow feels worse when my dog Roo is the subject) and think deeply about that for a minute. If you’re human you’ll Immediately want to think of something else but if you allow, or rather force yourself to go into this you’ll become emotional and may even begin to well up.
The Stoics and others have taught us to be prepared. This counts not just for appreciating people or our pets but for our circumstances and experiences as well. In one swift blow life can be taken away from us or altered in a significant way. Thinking about this every now and again does two things:
It should help you to appreciate said thing more, often giving you a perspective of how your past behaviors may not have been.
It simply helps prepare you for when adversity strikes.
And believe me, she will. You can either bury your head in the sand (or the clouds) or turn and face life head-on. The choice is always yours.
Until next time, The School of Knowledge.
 | A guest post by
|
This is so well written and so true. Adversity will strike and is to be expected. If we’re prepared, we won’t become completely undone…. Especially love the quotes.
Thank you for this insightful Spark.
Thank you so much for this. This is a powerful exercise, both in preparation, and also in the preciousness it brings to all things we value. The impermanence that we touch when we let ourselves know that everything can change radically and in a moment. This knowledge can both deepen our connection to what we hold dear as well as our very life itself. Let’s live deep and give our love in abundance, this is our one shot.