The strong shall survive (even in this economy)

I, like you have heard the adage: “only the strong survive”. My question is where does this saying come from? Or, in grammar that is more proper, “from where does this verbiage start (for you English majors following along)?”



Wherever this tradition is birthed, you have to wonder if the strength I speak of is internal (coming from one’s self), from the support & resources afforded to you in your quest to capture your dreams & desires or because of combining the two. This question and many like it has sparked countless debate over what makes one “strong” in relation to the amount of success one has secured. Some people believe that success in material things, others believe it is the life one lives, and many others envisions success as a journey and not a destination at all. Whichever the side of the fence you reside, there is an element of truth to what YOU believe.

In your pursuit of success, decide to pay the price for something and you will get what you want. The strength is determined not by the “cost” you are willing to pay, but by the resolve, you put behind your effort. Anyone can put a price tag on an item (intangible or otherwise) but the capture of such, thus, “paying the price” means something to those who complete the job and others who just try hard yet fail. When a person is on fire to succeed it is by choice, not by occurrence. And when I say this, I mean it in the fashion of one making the fire happen, not by spontaneous combustion. Success, like failure does not happen by accident, it is a model of consistency in either direction. There is great strength in keeping on to the end.

Does this mean that trying is not worth it without the reward? Well, this brings along a different train of thought. My question to you is: If you could not fail, what would you do? Who would you become?

I struggle personally & constantly with this question. I am told, “failure should not be seen as an antithesis of success, but synonymous with success”. You cannot succeed without first failing. There is effort & strength in trying and most of us who have experienced some measure of accomplishment can share stories of triumph and failure.

Let us look at professional sports starting with baseball first. If you bat 300 or greater, you are considered an All Star. In Football, if you throw for a completion rating of 60 percent or better, you are Hall of Famer.

In Basketball, if your shooting percentage is 50 or better, you are among the all time greats in the sport. Yet, if we quantify this measurement of success in other professional environments using the same numbers, we would be fired. Most of us will never make as much money as professional athletes but we are not held to the same public standard as either. It takes a great deal of strength to participate and thrive in sports. And the same holds true to our professions.

We do what we do for a living partly for the money but mostly because we enjoy it and have become good by other peoples standards. At least good enough to be paid for it (for some of us, not enough, but I digress - LOL).

I ask this question because this economy has a myriad of effects to us all; some effects greater than others. If you look closely to the human landscape, you will find varying degrees of strength to get people past their momentary hell or just to avoid it all together. Wherever you fall, I ask that you find the strength internally or through the resources afforded to you. These are tough times and tough times calls for strong/tough people.

What are your thoughts?