“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”
Attributed to the philosopher, Nietzsche, this claim was picked by songwriter Kelly Clarkson in “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” Losing a lover in a painful parting, she now can “Stand a little taller” and that “Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone.” The lyrics portray a woman maturing as a self in spite of lost dreams.
Entering a new year we hear hopes of starting “fresh.” To some it is leaving behind memories of unfinished goals, or erasing the fear and pain of contracting Covid, or emotional pain like losing a loved one. We also can feel pain living in a fractured society, seeing little hope of any change. So how is it that such challenges can make us stronger?
Some current examples are several New Year’s greetings on Instagram from imprisoned opponents of Putin’s calamitous and criminal war in Ukraine. Spending many hours in isolation, one Moscow lawmaker facing seven years in prison writes that he remains “an optimist who believes in man because “in Russia there is no other way to live.” An imprisoned journalist facing 20 years for treason writes, “But the dawn comes after even the darkest night – and it will definitely come.”
For me, these words recall the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the struggling church in Rome. “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us.” [Romans 5]
I’m Connie Seraphine and that is my hope-filled Perspective.
