Large Adversity

Fascinating read about the accomplishments of a woman I had never heard about. Her accomplishments are remarkable no doubt but what struck me the level of adversities she had to face in her life which brought equal measures of famine and fast. Losing two members of her immediate family before attaining adulthood is tough enough. But she went on to marry someone who had lifelong mental health issues. She gave up her dream of becoming a doctor on account of this marriage. Yet she was incredibly rich and had access to opportunities other did not and she maximized it all. I can think of so many stories of people accomplishing extraordinary things in their lives and just about all of them had some terrible set of circumstances that defined them. If a person was so lucky as to not have endured any serious calamity in their lives, they will likely not achieve significant greatness either. 

Even on a much more reduced and local scale this seems to hold true from what I have observed in life. Made me wonder if a person who aspires for greatness in so doing also courts a great of tragedy in their lives. A young woman I know came to mind as I was writing this. She was on her way to decent success and a mundane life with a man she was going to marry and have kids with. Then one day she hit what seems to be a huge reset button. A life altering mishap came about and it forced her to come to a hard stop. A few months later, she emerged a changed person with new goals in life. The past has sloughed off her like dead skin. But for that sudden adversity, she'd be well on her way to a mediocre life. It is quite possible that she will now achieve greatness.