Love Helps You Stand

In life we are all going to be faced with difficulties. That is as certain as death and taxes. But how we face those obstacles that will come our way depends on the person we are.

There is an interesting book by Spencer Jones called "Who Moved My Cheese?", where tests were run on mice. The mice were fed cheese, and then one day suddenly the cheese was taken away. While one mice just collapsed, the other foraged on to look for more cheese, and found it.

This reveals a profound truth about us as individuals. Do we see our cup as half empty or half full? Do we just lie down and die when bad things happen to us seemingly out of the blue, or do we get back up, shake the dust off our tails, and move on?

For example, Neil Harbisson is completely colour-blind, but that didn't stop him from studying art, and becoming an artist. Diagnosed with achromatopsia, a rare vision disorder and impossible to cure, but now with the help of a friend, he uses a device that translates any colour he sees into a sound, taking his art to another level thanks to what others would term as a "disability".

Whitney Houston

That is balanced with the recent sad news of the death of pop star Whitney Houston, who was found dead in her bathtub in a hotel room. Achieving great musical success and becoming America's pop darling took its toll on the singer who made the art of melisma mainstream, and she quickly fell into the grip of drug addiction, destroying her famed voice in the process.

Now, at the age of 48, Houston's life is over, and fans across the world mourn her loss - comforted solely by the fact that the talented lady will live on through the songs she gave the world. Sadly, her music was unable to heal her own personal demons.

So what is it that makes one individual stand against adversity, while another falls? I don't claim to have a universal answer, but I do know of one universal aid that can help us in times of trouble. That's right, you've guessed it - L.O.V.E - love.

Sometimes it is not enough that others love us, and give us a helping hand. Sometimes we need to love ourselves just as much and the world we live in, so that when the hard times come, as they inevitably will, our love will help us stand.

Yours in love,