Has life gotten heavier or have we gotten weaker?

This is a backbone.

You won’t make peace without one.

You’ll need it to bear up under life and death decisions.

To lead through the smoke.

And run through walls.

You know how mom used to say “Don’t lift that. You’ll hurt your back!” and it only made you weaker?

Today’s pop wisdom says, 

“Don’t stay in relationship.”

“Cut them off.”

“Don’t risk your mental health.”

After all, what if you hurt your back trying to carry hard things!?

By the time peace is hanging by a thread, we don’t have the strength to pull each other through.

And since the backbone bridges our LEFT and RIGHT, it’s no surprise to find it missing anywhere people are cut off from the other side. Somewhere, someone’s back gave out. They limped away. And we’re stuck right where they left us.

Why is back pain everywhere? Maybe it’s not because things got heavier. Maybe we just got weaker from so much self-preservation. 

So what to do?

It’s contrary wisdom that will save us.

Embrace pain for real comfort. To build a backbone, you can’t baby it. You have to stress it. It’ll hurt. But you’ll recover. Adapt. And do it again. Together.

Sitting behind computers can make us spineless.

But physically bearing the heavy burdens of the truly vulnerable makes us stronger in every way. 

Lift heavy.

Make peace.

—Jeremy