It Aint About How Hard You Hit

“Its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Rocky Balboa 2006

Earlier today I got some hate from a reply guy and it led to my making a Tweet that I really didn’t think much of at the time. WIthin no time the tweet blew up, and got me thinking a bit. I am feeling compelled to flesh these thoughts out a bit.

Before I get to that though, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of my friends and peers for their outpouring of love and support. This is what we need more of in the world: More love than hate. That is how we fix this mess that we are in, as odd as it sounds, the reality of this truth becomes more apparent every day. At any rate, that’s enough about this for now.

Lets get to it.

Lessons Learned

From time to time I write about things that come from a place of pain, and to get to the lessons stored within these experiences you kind of have to dig in a bit. I don’t typically like to do this, because at its core it is quite personal. However, to me at least, this feels like a small test of faith. When such tests arise, they become a matter of obedience or disobedience. So its time to dig.

Life is a lot different than a young man thinks it will be. I remember being a boy and my Dad frequently admonishing me with some variation of “Life is hard” when trying to get through to a stubborn young man high on testosterone and the feeling of invincibility. The way I took it back then was if I didn’t screw up too badly, and worked hard, everything would be fine. “How hard can it be?” a foolish boy wondered. Turns out, really fucking hard at times.

One of the first lessons I learned early in adulthood is that plans really don’t matter. Life doesn’t care about your plans. That doesn’t mean that it is foolish to have them. I would go so far to say that it is foolish not to have plans. What I mean is that we actually control much less than we think we do.

Sylvester Stallone has an inspirational story, if you don’t know it you should definitely check it out. That scene from Rocky V that I linked to above was shot with his son, Sage Stallone. The dialogue between the two characters contains some of the deepest wisdom ever captured in film. While shooting that scene the elder Stallone surely did not suspect that six years later he would be burying the son he shot that scene with.

Here we have a massively successful, physically and emotionally strong, living legend finding himself on the receiving end of the greatest pain a father can experience. All of the hopes and dreams he had for his boy of his instantly snatched away. If a living legend cannot escape the uncaring whims of life, what hope do any of us have?

If you live long enough, life is going to knock you on your ass.

Getting Back Up

This, my friends, is the key. Do not misunderstand me, sometimes its harder to get up than others, and it can even take years to get up. The reality is that there are many in life who never get up after being knocked down. It doesn’t take long to identify this in people, some turn to substances to try and cover the pain, while others just wilt and live in this sort of dissociated state where they are numb to most pain and joy. I do not judge people who survive in this way, because not only have I been there, but it wasn’t by my own strength that I got back up.

I can say for certain that there is more to gain by getting back up. It is through these trials that we become strong, wise, and better able to help others. Being able to learn from life’s tribulations allows us to understand what’s important, and even to discern the sacred from the profane.

In addition to the growth, the amazing thing is that there are better things awaiting you at the end of such journies. For me, I chalk it up to the magnificence of God’s plan and His merciful grace. For those of us who do not subscribe to a religious faith, I am not sure how they conceptualize this dynamic, but I have immense respect for their strength.

Be the Light in a Dark World

Much like the momentary spite from a random Twitter user sparked an outpouring of love and positivity, the low points in life can lead to the most beautiful outcomes. The key is to get back up, no matter what it takes or how impossible it seems. Then we become conduits of much needed positivity in this uncaring world. The truth of the matter is that darkness is never greater than light, and as long as we continue to fight we will win…it probably just wont turn out quite like we thought it would.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and if you find yourself needing some support never hesitate to reach out. That’s all I have to say right now. Until next time, Jack.

While you are here take a moment to go check out jackbinswitch.com, there are links to my articles on Sigle and Flagship, a killer alternative media health magazine, and some projects that I am quite fond of.