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In the developed world, we largely lack the adversity that would rule over our lives. Instead, most of us have choice and opportunity, and the pressures and anxieties that come along with it. Feeling like you control your life does not automatically give you a direction to take. Then, we compare our lives to those less privileged and wonder why we are not more grateful.
People need raw emotions to feel truly alive, or they take up bungi jumping. Grief over the loss of something is akin to the emotions felt when falling in love. We don't need to do either, very often, anymore. Adversity, much like love, can heighten the world and spirituality around you. Too much of a good life is confusing and uninspiring - "Is this it?" - people ask themselves. There is too much time to stop, think and type about it on the internet. Much of this apathy is due to technological advancements removing our traditional tasks in life. There's less small things to reward yourself over. Less things to take pride in doing.
I'll be dead in a few years unless I get a kidney transplant and I've been stuck in a wheelchair all of my life. My time on Earth hardly feels like it is 'playing out' in front of me. However, I still waste my days and achieve very little, when I am capable of doing more. There is no sense of urgency or feeling like a hearded sheep here. I don't care about my debt problems or retirement. Life's biggest ambition is holding on to custody of my daughter and dealing with the guilt of knowing that the couple who adopted my son would give her a better life.
Having a natural adversity has actually not done me much harm. I can be quite arrogant about it actually, while soaking up the pity and excuses, when I feel like it. Disabled people are invisible to society's expectations and 'normal requirements' anyway. You rarely feel lost in your own community or just another number. Your individuality is upheld, while your independence is promoted by just about every fucker you know!
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