“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Fredrick Douglass
We become stronger by meeting and overcoming resistance. Whether it is lifting the weight, playing a more difficult passage on the instrument, or having the difficult discussion with the person we care about (maybe even ourselves). Doing the hard thing makes us better.
If it is easy it probably isn’t worth it, and the things that are the most precious require the greatest risk and sacrifice. To fight oppression, or the oppressive darkness creeping in. To build a business, or a relationship.
Joseph Campbell said the cave we fear to enter holds the greatest treasure. Gold is rare and requires work to acquire. And freedom and power and mental health are more priceless than mere glittering metal. The greatest treasures take the most effort to win.