Strengths and Weaknesses, Obstacles and Satisfaction
There's a book titled "Zaczyn. O Zofii i Oskarze Hansenach" written by my favourite Polish author, Filip Springer. It's a biography of a married couple of architects who, despite many occasions to leave the Iron Curtain, chose to stay in the Polish People's Republic. The book reveals that Oskar Hansen believed that the challenges of PRL actually stimulated his creativity.
In the sitcom "The Good Place", [spoiler alert] the characters learn that a worry-free life is ultimately dull and diminishes intellectual capabilities even of the greatest philosophers.
While I'm not a meditation guru who sees the positive in every problem, I do recognise that obstacles and limitations make us stronger and add depth to life.
In relationships, one quality of a partner can be both admirable and frustrating depending on the context. For example, you may admire someone's perfectionism, but their unwillingness to hurry can be exasperating when waiting for them at a restaurant. Perhaps you appreciate your partner's kindness, openness, and patience, but their inability to defend themselves can be hurtful at times. This phenomenon is called The Weakness of Strength.
Understanding The Weakness of Strength can help us navigate crises by changing our perspective on others' flaws and weaknesses. Our minds tend to hive off the strengths and see these as essential, while deeming the weaknesses as a freakish add-on, but in truth, the weaknesses are part and parcel of the strengths.
My high school math teacher used to say that great mathematicians were also great procrastinators. That's how they discovered all those formulas.
At work, things can be frustrating. However, nothing made me prouder than finding solutions despite limitations. The challenges I faced, such as supporting outdated technology (R.I.P. Internet Explorer), dealing with spaghetti code, navigating office politics, and more, contributed greatly to the satisfaction of succeeding in my career. Without these challenges, my job would be painfully dull, and I'm sure yours would be too.
From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted. I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either. And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion. Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortunes.”
~ John Roberts, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court
Embracing challenges and limitations adds depth and strength to our lives, making our achievements all the more satisfying. Just as Oskar Hansen believed that the adversities and limitations in his life fueled his creativity, we can learn from our own challenges and use them as opportunities for growth. Whether it's at work, in relationships, or in our personal lives, the obstacles we face shape us and contribute to our sense of accomplishment. So, let's embrace the weaknesses and limitations that come our way, knowing that they can ultimately lead to success and fulfillment.