Pierre de Courbin, the founder of the modern Olympic games, said the following:
“The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in Life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. To spread these principles is to build up a strong and more valiant and, above all, more scrupulous and more generous humanity.”
The virtue in life is therefore not the prize but the struggle. Hence the Latin phrase. This is a good mantra. Not the prize but the struggle.
The struggle is where we become real contributors to society, where we build better selves, where we take on the complex and deal with the realities of life. Without struggle we would be nothing. Having known no vice, we could never seek virtue.
It is silly to complain about the times that we struggle, and I know this is hard to accept, because this is a gift. Gratitude is the appropriate expression during those intense times when you want to give up or throw in the towel. With that attitude, life and the many experiences along the way, become one long journey with no beginning and no end.
So we struggle and all along try to avoid struggle. Yet we struggle nonetheless. You see struggle is life, and is inevitable. So perhaps it is time that I flip the script so to speak? Currently, I am constantly seeking the prize and feeling overwhelmed and full of anxiety because of the struggle. Rather, I can decide to enjoy the struggle, relish the pain, and laugh in the face of opposition (respectfully of course).
There seems to be something strangely comforting with the thought – everything is going to be a struggle anyway, so I might as well like the experience. I am going to hell in a bucket but at least I am enjoying the ride? Casual Dead reference for those of you who are kind. Anyway, even when you finally get the prize you will be sorely disappointed to find that even the prize holders have struggle. How many times have we seen supposedly successful awesome people finding some of the worst times in their life. Probably for this exact reason – the finally arrived at the precipice only to discover that – yup – there is a whole other mountain to climb.
Better that we recognize early on that we are always going to climbing, so better get used to it and smell the flowers along the way!
Guy Reams
