4 hard truths everyone has to face

Image via Complex Original

According to Teodor Mavrodiev, we actually can do most of the things we think we can't. We've just brainwashed ourselves into doubting our abilities. 

For example, they pointed out, several people with missing legs have climbed Mt. Everest, but many people with two functioning legs will still claim they can't do it.

This truth is a blessing and a curse: a blessing because it means we can do much more than we give ourselves credit for, and a curse because it means we have no excuse not to try. 

"The hardest truth that I've had to accept for my own good is the fact that nobody owes me anything just for being alive on planet Earth," said Bari Bardhan. 

Hey, there's a poem about that. "A Man Said to the Universe" by Stephen Crane sums it up:

"'Sir,' I said to the universe, 'I exist.'

'That,' said the universe, 'creates no sense of obligation in me whatsoever.'"

Bari Bardhan elaborated: "If you want something, you have to prove that you're worthy of it."

Life isn't like a Disney movie that will automatically culminate in a happy ending, said James Liu. You have to actually work toward happiness, and even then, it's not guaranteed.

"I may not find the love of my life. I may not be granted happiness. I may not live to 100 years. I may not be destined by fate or some other supernatural power," they've accepted.

The consolation? "There's more than one way to solve any given problem," "teaching is a natural phenomenon for all that are not born perfect," and "learning is a natural phenomenon for all that wish to live better." 

Just when you think you have everything planned out, said Nelson Wang, sh*t happens. And it's not always good sh*t. 

"Life is unpredictable," they said—and that's perhaps the only predictable thing about it.

Here's how they learned that lesson: "One of my best friends passed away from cancer and he was only a few years older than me. He seemed like he was in perfect health."

But this can also mean good things: "I met my girlfriend (whom I love very much) at a conference. In Spain. I live in California," they said.

Unpredictability is sort of exciting, don't you think?

Once we accept these seemingly harsh realities, it become easier to see the silver linings in them.