There's Always A Way

“Apply yourself to thinking through difficulties—hard times can be softened, tight squeezes widened, and heavy loads made lighter for those who can apply the right pressure.” (Seneca, on Tranquility of Mind, 10.4)

You know the song, "Pressure" as sung by David Bowie and Queen. The song plays a game that we should learn: it makes light of very difficult times. Listen to it. At the very beginning, there are no lyrics, just a sing-song 

Mm ba ba de

Um bum ba de
Um bu bu bum da de

Does that sound like someone under pressure? Singing a ditty? Take away the tune, read the lyrics as they stand and the song is quite dark--but the music reveals a change in perspective: there's another way to look at difficulties. The music is light! Apply a reverse-kind of pressure. The song says that love dares to make the change. 

Well over a thousand years ago, the Roman Senator Seneca wrote about being intentional to stop and think through difficulties. "Hard times can be softened." This makes me think of a new tool used by firefighters that uses water to cut through brick or metal. Water is patient and water is hard. Nothing stands in the way of water. 

So "be like water" because if we stop and think, we can face difficulty with a kind of boldness that can't the pressure. 

When it comes to tight spaces, I think of Samson. Blinded and in chains, Samson was brought out to be put on display by his captors at a massive party. You know the story: placing his hands on the pillars, he pushed and (in a manner of speaking), opened that tight space right up--bringing the whole house down. 

Feeling burdened? Someone once said, "if you're going through hell, keep moving." If you're carrying the weight, that's good. Tiresome, but good. But the load is manageable when shared. Call for help. Don't let that load stop you. 

Here's the thing: hard times come and go, like the tide. They come to stay. Apply yourself to think, "this too shall pass" then buckle down and do what it takes to soften it, open it up and carry it away.