This one is seemingly personal preference … isn’t it? It comes down to personal beliefs? Many great thinkers from philosophers like Aristotle and Hippocrates to writers like Shakespeare and Bradbury to modern poets and politicians have all weighed in on the topic. And each has their own take on whether it is one or the other or both or neither.

Honestly … I don’t know what I personally think/believe. I’m not adamant about any of the choices. Here are my “definitions” of these choices. They are by no means “correct” or full definitions - just what I’m using as a starting point. (DISCLAIMER: I am not a philosopher or a student of philosophy, and I slept through most of my school-required philosophy courses.)

So when I think about overcoming adversity, getting through tough times, or helping others to do those things, my first instinct is to use those cliche quotes that we have all heard more times than we really want to try to count. Saying, or hearing, the phrase “it will all get better” can be at times uplifting and other times like a kick in gut while you’re already down on the ground. 

​Family. Phew, trying to start a discussion about this feels like I just opened a large can of worms.

[Deep Inhale]

Everyone has their own family “stuff”. Even the best of families have moments of frustration with each other. But family is family … right? They will always be there for you, and you them - even if some times it doesn’t feel like that’s the case.