Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar.
—William Wordsworth
…It is never enjoyable to face adversity—those unexpected bombs thrown into our lives, or the chronic, dull ache of sadness and melancholy. We see pictures of others who seemingly have it all—wealth, fame, success—while we trudge forward, inch by inch and day by day. I think of Abraham Lincoln, a good man who moved from failure to failure in life, all while battling some pretty serious mental demons. What, ultimately, made Lincoln so great? The wisdom he gained from his many low points in life, and his ability to act upon what he had learned. When we are down and out, we tend to contemplate, and that is typically when we find wisdom. In our successes, we tend to celebrate. To be sure, most of us would rather spend our life surrounded by success and happiness; but, more often than not, our somber times allow us to cultivate the rich soil needed for our future growth.
MSH
