Why Life Is So Hard? And What More Can You Do About It

Perhaps life being a miracle, vividly explains our inability to describe its terms. But even if we do not quite comprehend well what misfortunes are and what they are not, at least we can tell when life is complicated and, or not.

Our childhood was made somewhat easy by our parents, who cleared our paths and conveniently removed obstacles standing on our way. We had to worry over nothing. At least not about where the money would come from or when we would get our first degree. All we had to do was to go out to play, run small errands, and attend those regular classes. It was as dull as it was exciting.

What It Used to Be During Our Childhood

We would wake up in our parents’ bungalow each morning, stand at the sliding doors leading to the balcony and soak in the morning sun. The sun that lazily pierced its way from the western horizon and onto the expansive leafy suburbs neighborhood.

From our balcony view, we could see a slightly- and strangely- overcast for shanties. Surprisingly as it looked then, we could not apprehend why someone would decide to live in such ramshackle. We were naïve, and to an extent- stupid. Most of the time, on a summer afternoon, the sky would strike an image of a bruised and surly soldier, like a driver with a punctured wheel.

Sadly, the nearby slums mirrored this temperament; grey and frothy. The expansive informal settlement, as it was contemptuously called on this other end, churned and curled on its belly, as if it had colic. The slums, confined between expansive homes and neatly carved out forest, was home to a family of monkeys calmly sitting in the narrow winding paths. Like the slum inhabitants, they usually did not look like they had any solid plan for the day.

All they did was to stare at us directly, unmoved by the human movement under the trees they so precariously hang on. Once in a while, the baby monkey would scamper off at the sounds of helicopters taking off from the nearby airstrip.

The male ones, however, stood there still, staring back at us like they were daring for a fight. I guess they had seen many like us- some even more muscular and intimidating than we were. So, after all, they were not scared.

That was the kind of life many of us lived in our early years. It was a life filled with fantasies and wild imaginations. Thanks to our parents and guardians, we had a quiet walk in the rather loud path of life. We thought then, and understandably so, that life was easy to live and fun to experience. But how wrong were we to judge?

When adult life eventually catches up with us, and we all need to commit to something, we finally realize there is nobody to clear the path for us. We have to face the life impediments all by ourselves, wading through the muddy waters of life.

In most instances, we want to get ahead in life, but the stubborn obstacles on our ways make it even more complicated. Life then becomes harsh and unbearable if we cannot get rid of those stumbling blocks.

The Big Four in Life

At some point in our life, we all dream of accomplishing certain things. However, the journey towards achieving them can sometimes become bumpy and uncertain. Moreover, all of them are interdependent, and keeping all of them can become quite a challenge.

These big four amenities we all yearn for are:

• Money
• Relationships
• Health
• Freedom

Maybe you are scratching your head and wondering why all the four are interdependent, and more importantly, why you need to keep all of them at a go. You see, when you have loads of money safely stuck in your bank accounts, the last thing you would wish for is sickness. If you are always on and off the bed, then your money would not help much. I mean, what would you be enjoying when all the time you are confined to the bed, moved around like you have no limbs?

Nonetheless, a combination of money and good health is a guarantee for the stable relationships and freedom you so desire for. Freedom brings with it peace of mind and, thus, makes a person less stressed. If you are not stressed, it essentially means you will live a healthy life.

Maybe we should start by sampling reasons why it is practically difficult to achieve the big four for most people. Later on, we should also go through some elements that make your life more unbearable and stressful as if life itself is not already complicated enough.

1. Nothing is as hard as making money

There are only two sure ways of making money. It is either you get a job and work to be paid, or as many other people, build your own business and earn from it. These are things you must do in case you want to make that money you dream of. 

• Working a Job

Not many of us relish the prospect of waking up every morning, finding a train or a bus to work, and returning in the evening. It is an undesirable and boring routine but one which is inevitable for the majority of us.

It has been widely argued and proved to some extent that working a job is an awful way to make money. If you are well acquainted with the fundamental laws of economics, you will know that workers only earn what we call a survival wage. It is not sustainable. This is in stark contrast to the employers and entrepreneurs who carry home the majority of profits, leaving their hardworking employees with pieces of bones to feed on. 

We do not live in an ideal world. And if we were to live in any, then all of us would be waking to deep-fried crunchy, crispy fries with an enchanting exterior and buttered bread. We would all be lining in front of those magnificent offices every morning- to do our dream jobs (if there are any). Sadly for many of us, that is not the case. Many of us are rewarded according to their skills- skills which take decades to build and don’t necessarily pay those hefty salaries. Finding a job is just as tricky as it is hard to keep.

Many would argue that it is only sensible that one must work to get paid. Fair enough. However, what they do not realize is that in the process of doing all these, they exchange one of their most precious assets, which is time for paltry dollars.

Time itself is life. The moment time stops on your side, and the clock becomes silent, you automatically die. You cannot control the length of your life, but you can control its other dimensions. It is within these subtle dimensions that you live your unrepeatable miracle, for that’s what life is.

Waking up from the comfort of your bed to go work in some dingy offices stuffed between busy streets is akin to modern-day slavery. It is a raw deal to give out your precious time in exchange for money that is not even enough to cover for your basic needs.

When you become employed, you become an enemy of the government and almost everybody else. There are vast sums of income tax to pay, which leaves you with peanuts to carry home. In a nutshell, a job causes you pain, frustration, misery, and stress.

• Building a Business

It is either you are employed to work and earn, or you are confined to a personal business that generates you income. Deciding on the type of business you want to run is just as tricky as running the business itself. You are always confronted with the nagging thought of whether your business will be successful or not.

Let’s face it. Building a successful business requires hard work, patience, and resilience. However, to be truthful, luck plays a significant part in your growth sometimes. You might invest in all the attributes required for a successful business, but if luck continues to evade you, you are likely to fail and fall with a thud.

Are you safe once you have built a successful and stable business? Not really. Even with stability, you can never rest on your laurels. The business world is filled with successful investments that came tumbling down as just as fast they rose. It is a common practice among many of us to bypass those enduring paths and instead chose the more comfortable options.

2. Staying Healthy Has Proved to Be Futile for Many of Us

One of the most despicable matters humans have to deal with is the lack of quality foods. Admittedly so, the availability of food is not in denial. However, what is in contention is the quality and type of food we repeatedly consume.

These foods disregard even the most basic requirements in their preparations or manufacturing. Most of the foods we consume are contaminated with chemicals and made in a way to be addictive. The other option of healthy foods is not only rare but also expensive to purchase.

Unless you work in the gym as a trainer, you will need to find time to work out to burn the excess calories and generally keep fit. If you ignore the gym and avoid the necessary workouts, you will be at risk of courting cardiovascular diseases, or you could become obese. You don’t want to experience that, I guess.

3. Finding People Who Give Friendship Prominence is Hard to Come by

Some of the most sought for things are the rarest to come by. The things that exist in abundance are, to some extent, of low value and not as attractive as we would want them to be. Relationships, just like buildings, must be grounded on strong foundations to assure their longevity. Don’t we all dream of a healthy, attractive, and finely cultured partner? While it is challenging to come by such characters, it is also hard to attain one if they exist.

Technology has played a massive role in shifting the traditional ways of socialization. Before the advent of these phones and computers, people would go out to meet physically and engage in real life. Not anymore. Today, you only need a smartphone, and with the tap of a button, you can connect with a stranger on the internet.

What we have nowadays are relationships built on lust and infatuation. Once you remove the sex factor, the bond is thrown out of the window, and you remain strangers to one another.

4. Freedom is Costly

Nothing is as elusive as freedom in the modern world. It is as deceptional as the governments that promise mega projects but deliver hot air instead. Most governments are always trailing you for your hard stand against its misplaced economics policies. Millions of people are still enslaved in the pretense of offering jobs. Even your right to free speech is curtailed in the name of checking on hate speech.

If you thought to build businesses and to find the right relationships were the only impediment to attaining your goal, then you are wrong. There are even more sophisticated issues that conspire to make your life even harder. These factors are the roadblocks that litter your path to inhibit any upward mobility.

Let us take a look into them:

I. Governments, Media, And Religion

Almost all the governments, media, and strangely religion are the brainchild of people who selfishly want to get ahead in life at your expense. The government has mastered the art of strangling its people with heavy taxes, police force brutality, and unsolicited intelligence. 

Corporations, on the other hand, are mainly driven on one goal- profit. The corporations have that irritating habit of forcing consumerism down your throat. The corporations hold on to the belief that they will rake in more profits if consumers consume more.

Religion has been turned into commercial avenues where churches are exploiting their members. A small number of the church leadership convince their ‘sheep’ to finance their lavish lifestyles and leave them wallowing in abject poverty as a result. 

Mainstream media is not different from profit-driven corporations. They give attention to nothing but their profits. In extreme cases, they even go-ahead to push the agenda of large corporations. Unlike the belief many of us hold of the media, they are never bothered about educating and informing us. All they care about are the insane profits.

II. Society

We all appreciate the benefits of civilization. It has played significant roles in the enormous strides we have made as a human race. However, just like any other good thing with downsides, civilization is no exception. If you hope to run a civilized society, then it would only mean that other millions would have to forgo their desires to avoid possible conflicts.

Aren’t we all selfish? Don’t we all develop crumps when we see our friends and relatives prosper in life? It is in our nature not to want the best for others. When we see our friend or cousin trying to rise from the trenches, we work as much to push them back to the same channels. That is our society.

III. Ignorance

Being naïve and ignorant could be the most disastrous combination for any man who would wish to escape poverty. If you are ignorant, the probability that you will live a miserable life is 100%. Maybe you are loudly wondering what then the role of a school is. Well, a school, to some extent, will impart to you some civilization. What it will not, however, do, is to wipe out the ignorance completely.

So many people are educated but ignorant. The world itself is full of educated derelicts. There is no pathetic group like the educated but ignorant.

The educated, despite their perceived education, have been conditioned to believe lies and consume anything fed to them by the cunning and malicious governments.

IV. Life’s Unfairness

One of the bitter truth we continuously need to remind ourselves is the fact that life is never fair. It is by design that it is that way. Those at the top of the pyramid are assured of the cream. The millions at the bottom pyramid have to contend with crumbs. Most of the time, the environment you are born and brought up in plays a critical role in the direction your life takes.

Now that we have extensively covered the reasons that make your life difficult, it would be imperative if we also highlighted the things that make life easier. It is advisable, however, not to hate your life because it is hard. Remember, it is not hard for you alone. Some people are going through worse situations than yours.

The following strategies will make your life easier by opening more avenues for making money and help you become healthier and attain the elusive freedom.

• Try to improve your appearance, both outward and inner appearance regularly. 
• Never at any time agree to pay for mistakes that were committed by other people
• Literally, break the rules. Go out there and do exactly the opposite of what you are traditionally required to do ( provided it is ethical).
• Maybe it is time you let go of the victim mentality and adopt the winner mentality. You need to take full responsibility for your life. Nobody else will do it for you.
• Never go about seeking for instant gratification. Instant gratification will make you hate yourself more.

Conclusion

As discussed above, life is difficult for everyone at one time or the other. However, at an individual level, you must identify that problem that is continually making your life difficult and find a way on how to fix it. As you continue to find out why life is so hard, maybe you should also start to accept that some problems are out of our control.

Hopefully, you have learned something that will help you make well thought out decisions. Don’t ask why it is difficult, instead ask what you can do about the problematic situation.