Retrospect: Finding Beauty in the Pain.

Retrospect: Finding Beauty in  the Pain.

"In retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful."

— Sigmund Freud.

If I were to ask you about life, what would you say? If I were to ask you about pain, what would you say? In fact, what is pain? I can almost guarantee that everyone reading this has felt it at some point in their life. You can describe it with whatever words you want, but it doesn't change what it is.

Pain is a universally spoken language that binds all human beings together. Although different things might cause different people to feel it, it's always the same. Be it stubbing your toe on a jagged stone or seeing your favourite toy get smashed to pieces. Be it the ruthless beating of an angry mother or the painful sting of a father's leather belt. Be it failing a subject you studied hard for or the unjust punishment of an angry school teacher. Be it the instant death of a sibling or friend, or the slow, agonizing death of a parent from a terminal disease, Be it the cold betrayal of a friend you trusted with your life or losing the passion of a lover —they all evoke the same thing: pain.

The saddest part is that the cycle never seems to end. Life feels like an endless loop of mortifying pain. On some days, you just stub your toe and bite your tongue; on others, you fail a test or lose a friend.

No matter the degree, life always seems to have a new fastball for us, and we always seem too slow to catch it. It's scary to consider that we might never be fast enough. It's frightening to think we might be doomed to playing this seemingly rigged game for eternity. But that's fine.

Because the sooner the artist accepts the flaws of their painting, the sooner they can turn every accidental stroke into the touches of a masterpiece. The sooner you embrace life for what it truly is, the quicker you are to truly live.

When you realize that your life is an entire book, not a single chapter, a whole series, not just one episode, a full movie, not a flimsy scene—you can begin to find the beauty in every breath and create memories in every moment. This phase of your life, this seemingly unending pain, is just a piece of the puzzle that would never be complete without it.

Right now, in this moment, this episode might not make a lot of sense. This scene might be the one where you cry and slam all the doors in your house because you can't take it anymore—and that's fine. This chapter might be where you get your heart broken and lose your job—and that's fine. As long as you promise yourself that this isn't the end of your story, your movie, your book, or your series. There's still so much more to be done. As long as you're still waking up in the morning and going to bed at night, this cannot be the end of your story.

It might not make sense now, but in retrospect, the years, months, weeks, days, and moments of struggle and suffering will strike you as the most beautiful. The exceptional darkness you may be facing is only a result of the exceptional light that shines ahead of you, begging you not to quit.

Knowing that this is all a phase that will pass, give yourself a pat on the back. Know that this is all part of the story you will one day tell. And the bigger the dragon you have to slay, the more epic your story becomes. The more epic your story, the more epic the hero. The more epic the hero, the more epic you are.

Yes, it will take time, patience, and a lot of willpower, but moments turn to memories, and kids turn into adults. So as you scribble away in the story of your life, remember to breathe and remind yourself that this is a phase that will pass, and in retrospect, it will strike you as the most beautiful.

#musingwithmuhsin