“Life Insulation”, volume 1.
Whether it be physical or emotional, true strength is a demand.
Not a request.
If you are asking for it, waiting for it, or even praying for it, you have misjudged its fundamental nature; It is elusive and hard to come by, and won’t politely join by request those without the will to grab it by the throat, and squeeze until it cooperates.
Wishing you were strong is like simply wishing you were rich, or wishing you were a super-athlete genius; All the want and wish in the world won’t develop, sharpen, and civilize your mind or break down, build up, and make savage your body. Once you’ve mentally and physically built and insulated yourself with blood, sweat, and resolve, then the once fragile house of cards becomes and stays an anti-fragile house of bricks.
There is no one but yourself to look to for lasting strength- and the only question that needs to be considered is “Am I willing to live one day/ week/ month/ year without being physically and mentally stronger and more capable than I was in the previous?”
If the answer is yes, then… move along. This is not a place for you. We don’t understand you, and you certainly won’t understand us. Or, stay, with the awareness that until you adjust your mindset and actions you are being judged for condemning yourself to mediocrity* and sitting idle among your unrealized potential. If you’ve decided to stop putting pressure on yourself to progress as a human being, then step to the side so those NOT simply waiting to die can charge through the middle, and set a good example for all those that see them at work.
If the answer is no (as it should be), then embrace the mindset of a strong person, and leave the wishy-washy requests to those that don’t yet have the clarity to bite down on that which you have already begun to digest.
*The cop-out way to read this is “I’m being judged for not wanting to devote my life to lifting heavy weights and beating myself into the ground.” That is not what is being said. Physical strength is but a component of a well-rounded individual, and looks very different for almost everyone. Condemning yourself to mediocrity = Having more mental and/ or physical potential than you are willing to use based on convenience, minor discomfort, laziness, self-deception, denial, or just general ignorance.
This volatile world will eat the weak, and starve the complacent… if you’ve voluntarily chosen to be either, no one wants to hear you complaining when it does.