Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Every good story involves character development. Something goes wrong in the lives of the characters, forcing them to adapt, to grow, or to change. We love to see how resilient, adept, and adaptable characters are, and we love to see how they change and grow to be better humans. There is something rewarding about watching the angst of challenge transmute into the evolution of character, but not always as it pertains to our own lives.
We work hard to avoid challenge, and we try to protect ourselves from it. But every species on the planet faces challenge to its existence. That is part of the evolutionary system of life. Challenge is a character-building mechanism within a complex system. With all that exists, the microcosm (viruses, bacteria, disease, etc.) to the macrocosm (stars, galaxies, planets), there is bound to be confluence of circumstance, emotion, tragedy, and surprise. In other words, you’re eventually going to “bump” into something you weren’t expecting. This is by design, not by accident.
As soon as you recognize a challenging situation, pay attention to how it is pointing you towards your own character development. Usually it calls to soften us, to become more accepting. It usually teaches us to be more grateful, and less cynical. It humbles us, tearing off the rough edges, bringing us to a greater trust in the bigger scheme of life. You cannot protect yourself from challenge, that’s not the point of a good story anyway. You just have to deal with it, look at it squarely for what it is, and ask how it is shaping your integrity as a human being. You have to look closer at what it is doing for your own character development, and go where it sends you – to a better understanding of yourself. How life has shaped you, internally, is a much more interesting story than what you’ve accomplished in your life, externally. Understanding this truth about challenge helps dull its edges when it arrives into your life.