People often say that in life, no experience is ever wasted — whether it warms your heart or leaves it aching. Nor is there anyone truly worth hating, whether they love you or hurt you. Hardships need to be viewed positively.
Throughout our lives, we meet people who lift us up and others who let us down. Some bring warmth and kindness; others cause pain or disappointment. Yet resentment helps no one. Anger clouds the mind and weakens the spirit. It’s far better to stay calm, live with integrity, and focus on becoming the kind of person you admire.
Everyone who enters your life appears for a reason. Even those who hurt you may teach lessons in strength and self-awareness. Those who love you offer courage, like small suns lighting your path and warming your heart when the journey grows cold.
As the poet Su Shi once reflected: “Life is like a journey against the current; I am also a traveler.” The road is long and seldom smooth. But hardship is not punishment — it is a teacher.
What love and pain both teach us
This truth is echoed across cultures. In Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, a line reminds us: “No matter how deeply you have been hurt, someone will appear to help you forgive all the hardships.”
No one is completely unshakable. No one is so strong that they never long for understanding or comfort. The desire to be seen and supported is universal.
Pain, too, is not wasted. Those who wound us may leave scars, but from those scars we grow taller and steadier. Enduring hardship teaches patience, courage, and the strength to move forward even when the path feels impossible.
When suffering arrives, don’t despair. Let pain become the fire that tempers you. Over time, you may find that challenges don’t destroy you — they refine you. You emerge wiser, stronger, and more grounded in who you truly are.
How adversity transforms character
There is a story often told about a wealthy heir who lived without worry. Protected by family fortune, he spent freely and believed that effort and responsibility were unnecessary.
Then one day, betrayal came from where he least expected it — his closest cousin. The cousin seized control of the family business, leaving the young man with nothing. Stripped of wealth and pride, he suddenly faced the reality of survival. His parents now depended on him.
The loss became a turning point. Forced to humble himself, he began to work hard, taking on any job he could find. He studied, learned from others, and relied on the connections his father had built. In time, through perseverance rather than revenge, he regained the family business and restored its honor.
Though the experience was bitter, it forged true strength. As the saying goes: “Harm is sometimes a form of training.” Those who hurt us can still guide us — if we face life with courage and gratitude.
Turning hardship into inner wealth
From then on, the young man no longer allowed anger or resentment to take root. Instead, he embraced every experience as part of his growth, finding meaning even in misfortune.
Life’s difficulties, when met with patience and faith, can transform into something far greater than loss — they become the wealth of wisdom.
No matter whom you meet, do not let hatred fill your heart. Greet each moment with gratitude and hope. When you do, you will discover that both those who love you and those who wound you are ultimately helping you cross life’s river, guiding you toward a deeper strength and peace within.
Translated by Joseph Wu
Follow us on X, Facebook, or Pinterest
