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With today's political atmosphere and the rhetoric in the papers, it is hard to know what to believe. But rest assured, it is not as bad as you think. At 82 years of age, I have lived through many crises like the polio epidemic, the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and several presidential assassination attempts (some successful). Also, I can't remember a time without a war going on somewhere, the Y2K crisis, and recently the climate crisis predicting the polar ice cap completely ice-free in 2014, with our coastal cities flooded and the world destroyed, which did not happen. I have been in over 26 countries, from north of the Arctic Circle to the Middle East, from Thailand to South Korea. Let me share what has helped me through tough times, and there have been many.
My advice to you is Carpe Diem: seize the day, make the most of today, enjoy each moment, for life is too short to sweat what you can't control. Remember, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." If you are having a rough go of it, please keep in mind "these times too shall pass." As they say, "it's darkest before dawn." Tomorrow will be a better day if you just push through today. No matter how bad you think you have it, there are lots of folk out there in a worse position. Throw the negative thoughts out the window and think positively, for negative thoughts have no place in your life but to put you down. "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." Life is full of challenges, and there will be hard times; meet them head-on. If you have read any of my articles on the opinion page, you have seen some negative responses, but experience has taught me that "if you're not taking flak, you aren't on target."
It's not whether you win or lose; it's about how you ran the race. You can't experience life's adventure if you don't start. There will be ups and downs. Be positive, be optimistic, never ever give up, and above all enjoy every minute. Facing and overcoming adversity teaches patience, perseverance and builds character. Your actions, values, and words, being honest with uncompromising, strong moral and ethical principles, define your integrity. Hardships, temptations, or crises will test your integrity. If you must, choose the hard right over the easy wrong; never compromise the integrity that defines you. Remember, "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle, or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you'd better be running." Get started, be patient, persevere. I believe you have a bright future, and you are not alone; God is with you!
Arthur Keller
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