We’re about to go through a phase that will lead to great wisdom.
At the concluding monologue of the movie, Tea House of the August Moon, the character Sakini says “Pain make man think; thought make man wise; wisdom make life endurable.” Penned by John Patrick, the words ring with truth and present the coming lemonade to be derived from the lemons that we are being handed left and right during these times.
Inflation, corruption, unrest, food shortages, war, evil roaming like a roaring lion, incivility, crime, violence: Much pain has appeared on the scene in the past couple of years and much more is about to come. Has the debilitated educational system and damaged family structure disempowered younger generations from thinking, instead of blaming, during the current and coming pain? Has pride risen to such a level that the humility requisite to learning from living has disappeared, thus, too, the potential for gaining wisdom from experiences? For those who are unable to gain wisdom, life will be unendurable.
The “unendurable” has been endured since the dawn of humanity, during wars, economic depressions, true disease outbreaks, weather disasters, and more; the “unendurable” has come about by nature and by humanity’s influence, by fate and by policy. Among those times have come great thinkers and saints; Viktor Frankl, Joan of Arc, Mother Theresa, Maximilian Kolbe, William Wallace, Andre Weil, Christopher Havens and hundreds more.
On a less grand level, we need only look back a generation or two to discover great achievements born in spirit, fortitude and right thinking during the Great Depression. “Unendurable” times have existed since the Great Fall. The much-acclaimed movie, Life is Beautiful, represents with humanity and humor how a father makes endurable for his son their life in a prisoner of war camp; the movie is based on a book co-written by the director’s (and lead actor) father — In the End, I Beat Hitler — who spent two years in such a camp.
Life requires endurance and persistence; it is endurable. Never will there be a man-made Utopia. As we all face pains — grand and small, societal and private — perish that we lose the ability to think or we will find life unendurable. I fear that too many have lost the ability to think, lost to the mindlessness of social media, meta universes and disconnection from knowledge gained through experience and research. Logic and reasoning have been surrendered to feelings and emotion; the first coupling develops in humility, the latter coupling in pride.
Think to become wise so that life is endurable in ways that lead to joy, happiness, love, achievement, breakthroughs, discoveries and fulfillment.