You could say that Life is an epic adventure. As we travel through its twists and turns, we can’t avoid encountering some dragons along the way. Challenges can be like dark beasts lying in wait at each turn, and sometimes they spring on us unexpectedly, knocking us off balance. Failure, deceit, rejection, disappointment, frustration: nobody completely escapes their attacks. The wounds can be disabling and affect us deeply.

Looking at it all another way, you could say that nobody has to be defeated by these obstacles and challenges in life. It is possible to armour ourselves so as to render these negative forces impotent. The metaphorical dragons of despair and sorrow that confront us on our journey are powerless to destroy those who have developed spiritual resources. Spiritual resources manifest as an inner power which can sustain and lighten our way in the forests where the ‘dark creatures’ dwell.

The Duality of Existence

It is true that unhappiness cannot be completely avoided. Sorrow is as necessary a part of life as joy. They are the opposing forces of our existence which we can learn to recognise, understand, and navigate. We must know disappointment as well as success, rejection along with acceptance, loss as well as gain. Would we really wish to cut off the emotional responses to these events? In the longer term, the losses would be far greater than the gains. What would our life be worth without love, rapture or fulfilment? But to experience these joys and delights we must also be prepared to encounter their opposites, which are, after all, but the other side of the same coin.

The Lebanese mystic, Kahlil Gibran wrote:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the self-same well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

A folk saying tells us that “into each life some rain must fall.” Well, anybody can cope with a little rain, but it is the storms and blizzards that we find so hard. The deep, unbearable sorrows—these are the ones that threaten emotional continuity—loss of a loved one, failure in our work, deceit and rejection by those we trusted.

Your Inner Potential

We all know people who have been destroyed by these things or whose ability to function has become severely impaired. Yet, others seem to be able to endure these tribulations and emerge without deep scars. What is their power? Where is the source of their strength?

The ability of some to withstand calamities which devastate others has its origin deep inside: in a highly developed sense of self; an innate feeling of worth, so solid that no other person or outer event can dissolve it. It arises from a conscious awareness of oneself as a potent and dynamic entity—a genuine expression of the immensity and power of the vital force which gives life and form to the entire universe. It lies within each and every one of us. It lies within you.

How do we acquire this inner serenity—this completeness? You can’t buy it in a shop or order it online. A few fortunate people seem to have been born with it, but most of us must evolve towards it through sheer effort and determination, with work, study and ruthless self-analysis. The first step is to develop an understanding of the nature of the universe, its rhythms and vibrations, and the forces which unite us to it and to one another.

Being One with the All

As we learn to perceive the order and beauty, the supreme oneness of all things, we come to a deeper awareness of our own central core and our essential worth as a manifestation of these wonders. It is not a contradiction to say that to lose our sense of self is also to find and strengthen it. When our spirit dissolves into union with all others and all things, it becomes a powerful entity that cannot be broken by the tensions and problems of life, nor by the mean-spirited actions of others. We do feel sorrow, anger and defeat, but never to the extent of being destroyed by them.

That central core, that indestructible essence which is the source and the inner dynamism of who we are, relies on no-one, and never has to prove its worth. It is constantly being supported and replenished by the simple act of being. In this way, our mind and spirit can retain the clarity and strength needed to overcome negative forces. For those who have developed this inner power, the ups and downs of life become a challenge, a testing of the spirit, to enlarge it and give it greater strength—the strength to overcome failure with success, hatred with love, and loss with rebirth.

Each of us has this seed of victory within. It triumphs over adversity and sorrow. With attention and care and proper training, this emerging core can blossom into a healthy, well-nourished identity with the power to endure and grow beyond all the storms of a lifetime.