It always breaks my heart when I talk to a fellow TI and they tell me “there is no hope for me” or “I think I’ll never live a happy life again” or “I know the rest my life is going to be worthless”.
This depression and despair doubles the effects of the unfair harassment they receive and more importantly, prevents them from trying to make things better. For example, try to improve their mood, try to come up with creative solutions to improve their, usually difficult, financial situation, try different shielding and protective methods, try to take care of their health, try to get in touch and organize groups with other TIs in order to fight for their rights and raise public awareness about their issues and hundreds of other things they could try to do in order to improve their situations.
The truth is I am no stranger to those feelings either. There was a period that I was sure that it would be impossible for me to feel happy again. But in those hard times there was an allegory that I used to make myself work hard even when I had no hope. I present this allegory to my fellow TIs:
A seedling has every sound reason to feel hopeless. Maybe, there will be drought one year, maybe it cannot get enough sun, maybe a sheep or a goat eats it, maybe somebody steps on it, maybe pests attack it, maybe somebody cuts it and many other things. But how does a hopeless seedling manage to live through all these difficulties for many years and grow to become a majestic and proud tree?
The answer is: It does not care how hopeless its situation is, it “does what it can where it is”
When it is just a seedling it needs water and soil and there is too much competition from other seedlings, but it doesn’t care, it sends its tender roots into ground, it “does what it can where it is”
When the first winter arrives, it is just too cold for any plant to survive the frosts, but it doesn’t care it sheds it leafs and prepares for the frost by using anti-frost chemicals it makes, it “does what it can where it is”
When it grows into a sapling and animals frequently eat its leafs and break its branches it does not care, it just keeps making more leafs and branches, it “does what it can where it is”
When it is a young tree and a drought comes, most of its branches and leafs dry and die, it does not care, it starts all over again with new sprouts. It “does what it can where it is”
That’s how we now see a majestic proud tree.
Comments
Carrin and Katherine, thanks for your encouragement.
Cedric and Sue, thanks for your kind comments.
Thank you J.D. - This is beautiful.