Believe It Or Not: We are Stronger Than We Think

By Kelshay Toomer on February 5, 2016

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger” – Friedrich Nietzsche

We throw around this quote so much that I do not think that we truly understand what it means. Most people do not agree with this quote because they view it in a negative way. Being that I am all for positive vibes lets really look at this quote in a positive way to see why it has been used so much and continues to be used. We have all experienced a struggle or a hardship at some point in our lives. For those of you who have not; sorry to burst your bubble but that struggle will come around one day.

College in itself is a struggle. Here at Florida State University there is the struggle of finding a parking spot, no matter what parking garage you are in. To go a little more in depth, it’s the struggle of passing Organic Chemistry 2, Business law, or any difficult course for that matter. For any college student on any campus it will always be the struggle of finding out what you are going to eat for dinner. Just by naming a few of those struggles we can see that we have all dealt with them in some way.

The big question is have we allowed these struggles to “kill” us?

I can speak for most people and say no, we have not. Surviving a struggle strengthens us and makes us a stronger person. Let’s say we did not pass Organic Chemistry 2 the first time we took it. When we take Organic Chemistry 2 for a second time we might be upset about taking it again, however we were more confident with learning and understanding the material. We will have learned to put your pride aside and do what you have to do to pass the class.

On a much bigger spectrum we have to think about Cancer survivors. Our very own 2014 Homecoming Queen, Meesha Munnings, will be cancer free for four years in July and is stronger than ever. Not just physically but mentally and spiritually as well. Just by her having the strength to apply for Homecoming Court shows how strong and confident she is. Munnings says “I am not a product of my circumstance. I am a product of my decisions.” This explains why she had so much drive and courage to even consider applying for homecoming court. Her mindset took her extremely far as we can see.

Being that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, lets discuss how finding a Valentine’s Day date can be a struggle for those of us who are not as fortunate to have a significant other. Of course we all want a date for that one day so we can put them on our Instagram and Snapchat the entire day along with the gifts we received.

 What if your Valentine’s Day is not that magical?

 

Are you going to let that “kill” you? I would hope not. You can spend it with other people that make you just as happy. By things not going as you planned this is when you see how strong you are as a person. As human beings we focus on the things that we are feeling in the moment and we fail to think about what happens after that moment. An hour later after you are crying your eyes out because Johnny did not ask you to be his Valentine, you may be over it. We are stronger than we think we are we just have to believe it. Before you know it you will be able to go through your Snapchat timeline and view all the lovey dovey stories of people displaying PDA, feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries and having pointless arguments of who loves each other the most. When you get to that point then you will be able to proudly say “what doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger”.

In a way Nietzsche was right. We face so many struggles and hardships and yet we are still alive. Not alive as the same person but alive as a stronger person than what we were before. It’s funny because we sometimes regret some of the decisions in our lives that led up to a struggle or a hardship. We should do the complete opposite actually. We should accept it and move forward with that knowing that the person you are today is a reflection of all you have been through. The good, the bad, the ugly and the pretty is what makes you, you.

I have realized that life will not always be unicorns and rainbows. Truth is there may be a black scary bull and a thunder storm but the way we handle those situations is what matters the most and what makes us a stronger person.

No matter how small or big a struggle is, it is up to us to figure out if we are going to allow it to “kill” us. 

 

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