We are usually more accepting of a bad situation if it resulted from our own act or omission. However, when we are faced with a situation that we did not cause, and which we feel unfair or unreasonable (have you ever found yourself wondering ‘Why does this have to happen to me!!??), how do we handle that?
– We tend to tolerate our bad situations better when we learn to put them into perspective
– Frequent trips to the principal’s office is likely preferable to frequent trips to the hospital, even though each, on its own, causes grief.
– We are likely to choose a broken limb over an amputated limb even though we would prefer neither situation in the first place.
– We are often more tolerant of a bit of extra noise, at nights, when we compare that with an inability to hear in the first place.
Our preferences are often dependent on the impact of our immediate circumstance on us. When we find ourselves at our most vulnerable, when we are crying for relief, our immediate goal is relief, from any source available. When that relief does not come fast enough, if at all, we often take steps, sometimes irrational or destructive, to force the relief we seek.
“Dear Lord, please send me unending pain and anguish, suffering and poverty”, prayed no one ever! But when we do encounter these realities, we learn to navigate them and can cope, indeed thrive, because of them.
Let us consider our circumstances and what causes us grief, and think about what other ‘bad’ situation we would gladly trade it for, understanding that whatever it is that we consider unbearable, someone else , at this very moment, is enduring even worse!
