The nearest tragedy always seems like the worst tragedy.
Meet someone going through a difficult time and they will almost always tell you it is the worst experience of their lives. When they get through it, and are willing to tell you their life’s story, you realise what they were going through, pales in comparison to what they have been through.
A flu in the present feels more discomforting than broken bones in the past. The pain of the broken bones is gone, but in any comparison, it actually trumps that of a flu.
This inclination to disproportionately weigh present pain is a survival instinct. If you feel what you are presently going through is the worst of your life, you will mobilise all resources, including pity, to help you get through it.
However, our survival instincts need to be updated. Where it now immobilises instead of moving us forward, it actually antagonises survival.
Be conscious of the narratives that immobilise you.
You are not going through the worst experience of your life. At any point in time, you have been through that already.
Valleys are a part of the journey to new peaks.
– Osasu Oviawe
